The Louhearst Expedition: Year Two
by Lolli-S
Summary: As the threat of the Soul Destroyers increases, Logan finds himself in a whirlwind of problems as he enters his second year in the Louhearst Expedition. Now with troubles coming from a rival academy, can things get any worse?
1. The Hall of Legends

**A/N: First thing first, if you haven't read "The Louhearst Expedition: Year One" then you might want to check it out before reading this story or you'll be horribly lost. Second, well, enjoy the first chapter of "The Louhearst Expedition: Year Two". It's still summer in the first few chapters, so yeah. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The Hall of Legends**

"_The victory goes to Justin McShan!"_

The crowd cheered as the young man in the arena exited the field. He was moving on to the finals of the city tournament and was obviously in shock that he had made it that far. In the middle of the crowd, a tall man with light brown eyes and short black hair clapped for the young man as he finished his drink.

"What did I tell you, son?" the man started as he turned to the dark-haired teenager next to him. "This is just what we needed. I know it's not easy for you to live in a house full of girls all the time, Logan."

The young man nodded in agreement. "Thanks for bringing me to this tournament, Dad. Hey, which way are the bathrooms?"

"They're inside the building," the man replied. "Just walk in and you'll see the signs."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll be right back..."

The dark-haired boy made his way through the crowd and into the building overlooking the arena. He found the bathroom a few minutes later and headed straight for the sink. Logan knew that his habit of washing his hands for no reason was starting to get out of control, but ever since he had the cast taken off, he felt as if his hands could never become clean.

_"Logan, watch out!"_

_"Don! Don!"_

"_It's been a long time, Martin. Don't worry about Meladeo. He's dead and you have bigger problems to deal with. I told you, I'd be back..."_

_"Logan Martin, is it? We meet at last. Son of Owen and Iris Martin, or better known to me by her maiden name, Iris Vella..."_

_"We've wasted enough time. Prepare to die, Logan Martin..."_

The words ran through the young man's head as he began scrubbing his hands with intense ferocity. He began splashing water on his face as he reached for a Poké Ball.

"_Maaaaawiiile!"_

"I just need some company," Logan told her as they made their way out of the bathroom.

"_Logan? Logan, is that you?"_

He turned around to see a girl with dark green eyes approaching him. She had long, thick, black hair with a front fringe that ended just above her eyes, a slight tan, and two purple highlights on the left side of her fringe. In her hands were two drumsticks and on her right shoulder was a Plusle that seemed to be happy to see Logan's Mawile.

"No way!" Logan yelled in shock. "Roux?"

"The one and only!" the girl replied as she extended her arms. "I know you're not just gonna stand there and not give me a hug!"

He grinned as he wrapped his arms around his friend. When they both started to break free from one another, they suddenly found themselves gazing directly into the other person's eyes. The two Pokémon stared at their trainer's in confusion before Logan regained control of himself.

"So, uh..." he began. "Why are you in Viridian City?"

"My last stop on the tour was Viridian City," she explained. "I played here a few days ago before I went back to Vermilion. I came back because I suddenly remembered that you lived here, so I figured I can just chill with you until we get ready to go to the beach. Is that cool?"

"Totally," he said as they began walking down the hallway. "So, how was the concert?"

"Not good..."

"Why? Did you mess up the song or something?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Logan, I'm Floressa Roux. I don't mess up the song when I'm on stage. As a matter of fact, I _never _mess up any song that I play."

"So, what went wrong?"

"Daisy made me wear a mini dress on stage, but she forgot to tell me to put shorts on underneath. I must've flashed my underwear like a hundred times! At least, I knew why the crowd was cheering so loudly..."

They both began laughing as they reached the end of the hallway. However, the moment Logan turned the corner, he felt something slam hard into his face before he dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

"_You should be more careful, cousin. I think you're bleeding..."_

Logan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up to see a tall, lean young man with long, neatly kept, dark blond hair, pale skin and cold grayish-blue eyes.

"Shane...Clarke?" Roux said curiously as she helped Logan up.

"Who else?" the blond boy spat. "Didn't think I'd run into you two losers here. What's the deal, Martin? Are you _already _cheating on your yokel girlfriend with Roux? Thought you'd at least wait until we were back at school."

"Nice to see you're a _dark _blond now," Logan remarked. "Why are you even here?"

"My father's on business and I decided to tag along," he explained. "You see, I'm turning sixteen soon and my mother decided to buy me a car. I was allowed to get my license early. You two wanna see?"

He reached for his wallet and opened it. Logan immediately noticed him pull out a picture of a girl with long, shiny dark hair and blond highlights. She had tan skin and cat-like green eyes. The girl was dressed in an _extremely _raunchy manner and was winking at the camera while she was in a very provocative pose.

"Looking at my girlfriend, Martin?" Shane taunted as he flashed the picture to Logan and Roux. "I don't blame you, considering the fact that Jewel is hotter than any girl you'll ever talk to. She didn't want me to show anyone this picture, but I'm sure she'll get over it and if not, I really don't care. Rolen said that he's gonna help me get her a modeling contract. You see, Roux, this is what a real woman looks like."

"Well," Roux replied. "Judging by this photo, it looks like Jewel finally ditched the _Hello Skitty_ panties and upgraded to big girl underwear."

Shane's face turned a bright red as he put the picture back in his wallet. "You losers are going to pay for what you did on Cinnabar Island. The Soul Snakes are an official club now and we're open to anyone who hates Logan Martin. I already know a couple of first years who will be joining us and there are some others that are coming as well. Our treasurer is Lulu, our secretary is Mari, our head of security is Tinett, our vice-president is Rolen, our first lady is Jewel, and our president is yours truly..."

"Now you guys are 'official' jerks," Logan stated. "Look, Clarke, if you're looking for a fight, just say it."

Shane grinned and shoved Logan roughly. "I use Seviper and you use Zangoose. Sound like a plan, loser?"

"Definitely..."

_"How many times do I have to tell you to quit acting so...inelegantly around the...lesser folk, Shane?"_

A man with cold grayish-blue eyes and neatly kept light brown hair approached the teenagers. His skin was pale and his build was tall and lean. He had on an expensive black suit and a look of superiority on his face. Logan immediately tensed up as Samuel Clarke grinned.

"Logan Martin and Floressa Roux," the man started. "Well, this is certainly a surprise."

"Not a good one..." Logan muttered under his breath.

"I heard about what happened at the Abandoned Mansion on Cinnabar Island," the man said. "Such a tragedy..."

Logan balled his fists, but suddenly relaxed as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his father stepping in front of him. "It's been a long time, Samuel."

"It has, Owen," the older Clarke replied.

"Don't tell me you two are brothers," Logan remarked.

"No," Samuel replied. "But, we were close enough to have been. Isn't that right, Owen?"

"Dad, what is he talking about?"

Owen Martin glanced down at his son before facing Samuel. "We used to hang out when we were at Louhearst, but that's all in the past. Listen, Samuel, I know what you're up to with the Soul Destroyers and I'm warning you right now. Stay away from my son or else..."

"Hmm..." Samuel muttered. "Well then, it's time for us to leave. Come, Shane." He glanced at Logan. "We will meet again.."

"Later, losers!" Shane snarled as he followed his father.

The two Clarkes made their way down the hallway and headed out of the exit. "Thanks for getting rid of him," Logan said. "This is my friend, Floressa Roux. She's the one who taught me how to write with my left hand."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Martin," Roux greeted.

"The pleasure's all mine," Owen replied. "Listen, Logan, I'm going to head home. Are you staying?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you there. It's cool if Roux stays, right? I mean, I know Z.K. is already there and Jett's coming, but-"

"It's fine with me, but what do you think your mother-"

"I don't care what she thinks!" Logan snapped. He took a deep breath. "Sorry, Dad, I guess I just overreacted."

"It's fine, son. Come on, Mawile, I'll buy you some ice cream." Mawile jumped on Owen's shoulder and to his surprise, Roux's Plusle did the same. "You can come, too, if it's okay with your trainer."

"It's fine," Roux answered. "You be good for Mr. Martin, okay, Rundra."

_"Plu!"_

Owen made his way to the exit and the second he walked out of the door, Roux grabbed Logan's hand. "Come on," she said. "I have something I wanna show you..."

* * *

Logan and Roux arrived at a small metal door at the back of the training building. Roux immediately pushed open the door and led Logan in. It was a large, dead-end hallway with several portraits of trainers and their Pokémon hanging up on the walls.

"Daisy showed this room to me," Roux explained. "It's called the Hall of Legends. They have them all over in buildings across the world. The most powerful trainers are placed here as a dedication for the love they share with their Pokémon."

"You so read that off a plaque," Logan told her.

Roux grinned and shrugged her shoulders as she led Logan further down the hall. "Maybe I did." They stopped at a portrait of a large man with short red hair and a large smile on his face. By his side was a Ludicolo who had the same happy expression. "You probably can guess who this is..."

"Dean Horace..."

Roux nodded her head as Logan stared at the portrait. "There's something else I want to show you..."

She grabbed his hand and led him to the last portrait. It was of a tall, elegant woman with long, messy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. In her lap was a Flareon who carried the same determined appearance as its trainer. Logan's eyes widened as he stared at the name on the bottom of the woman's portrait.

"Liana Martin..." he muttered. "Liana Martin...That's the name of my grandmother on my dad's side. She looks like the woman in the pictures my dad used to show me, but she died before I was born. I never knew she was a legendary trainer."

"I know that you're upset at the fact that everyone on your mom's side of the family is either a jerk, a psychopath, or a combination of both, so I guess it's kinda refreshing to know that your dad's side of the family totally rocks."

Logan smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you for bringing me here, Roux. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Anything for a friend. Come on, let's go. I still have a song to work on..."

* * *

**This chapter was pretty short, but I kinda wanted to start off with something slow, but important and as some of you probably guessed, we'll be learning about Logan's father and his paternal family in this story as well as Owen Martin's history with Samuel Clarke. Roux appeared and of course, Shane came and punched Logan in the face. XD Feel free to go to the forum and discuss the story.**

**Later! **


	2. Reuniting

**A/N: So, I've decided that the first five chapters are going to be short (except maybe for the beach chapter) and after that, the characters will return to Louhearst. This chapter is exactly as it says on the tin. **

* * *

**Reuniting**

Logan could hear the loud knocking from his bedroom. He rushed downstairs and opened the door to see a boy with long, slightly curly black hair, emerald green eyes, and light brown skin chatting on his cell phone.

"_Jessica, it's not me, it's you. Come on, we said that it was only going to be a two week thing and there's this other girl who goes to my school and we sorta got this thing...Oh, today is your birthday? Well, that sure makes this conversation awkward. Later!"_

The boy hung up the phone and turned to his friend. "Dude!" Logan said. "Did you just dump someone on their birthday? What did she say?"

"Couldn't decipher her shouting," the boy replied. "Besides, she was cheating on me the entire two weeks we were going out. Anyway, Logan! What's up, buddy?"

"Nothing much. What about you, Jett? Looks like you've been hitting the gym."

"Had to. You have to be in shape to be able to perform CPR...I think. Where's everyone at?"

"My parents aren't here, but Z.K. and Roux are in the basement and my sisters are in their rooms."

Logan led Jett down the stairs to a large basement where they noticed a girl with long dark hair and eyes stretched out on the couch dressed in a white tanktop and a pair of pink underwear with a cigarette in her mouth.

"Z.K.?"

The girl jumped from the couch and the cigarette fell onto the floor. "Jett!" she shrieked as she wrapped her arms around the green-eyed boy. "Oh, you've been working out. Just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter-"

"I did," Jett finished as he fixed his shirt.

"You know what else is hot?" Logan interjected as he stomped on the cigarette that Z.K. had let dropped to the floor. "My house on fire! If you're gonna smoke, make sure you put the cigarette out before you toss it on the floor. Now, where's Roux?"

"She's on the toilet, but she told me not to tell anyone," Z.K. answered. "So of course, I did. Jett, where are you sleeping tonight?"

"Well..." he said smoothly. "I was hoping you, me, and Roux could squeeze in on that pull out sofa and-"

He was interrupted by two thumps on the back of his head. Jett whirled around to see two identical looking women with dark hair and brown eyes.

"Hi, Jett!" they greeted in unison.

"Scratch that!" he yelled. "I'm bunking with the two hot twins! Coco! Riri! Long time, no see!"

He wrapped his arms around the two older women and was promptly yanked by the ears. Logan followed them up to his room and Jett was released from the twins' hold shortly afterwards.

"You see," Logan told his friend as he shut the door. "This is why I didn't bring Emma here sooner. My sisters think that I'm too young to even look at a girl, so they probably think the same thing about you."

"Your sisters are twenty-four," Jett explained. "That's why they hid the fact that they were attracted to me. Dude, it's not legal, but the day I turn eighteen, they'll be knocking on my door. Anyway, nice room you got you here, buddy."

Logan arched an eyebrow as Jett explored the room. It was nothing special to him, but Jett seemed to think otherwise. The walls were a dark blue color and all of the sports equipment was placed neatly in a large basket that was hand-woven by Logan's mother. Other than that, the room contained a computer desk and a television. Logan remembered how messy he kept it before starting Louhearst, but ever since he had returned home, things had changed.

"Hey," Logan said finally returning to reality. "I got the webcam set up. I think Rietta said to turn it on around eight."

"Cool, what time is it?"

"Nine..." Logan answered as Mawile entered the room.

_"Maaaawi!"_

She immediately leaped in Jett's arms. "I missed you too, Mawile," Jett said. "Magby evolved during one of our CPR classes, so I can't really bring him out. He hasn't learned how to control himself and I don't want him to burn down Logan's house."

"Thank you," Logan replied as he turned on the webcam. "Maybe Rietta's still on..."

_"No, she's not!"_

An extremely attractive young woman with long, dark brown hair and big brown eyes came into view on the webcam. She had a large smile on her face that made Logan and Jett did a double take.

"Rietta?" they said in unison.

"_Close_..."

"You're her sister," Jett stated. "Amy? Aly? Ashley?"

"_Aria_," the woman corrected. "_You two must be Logan and Jett. Rietta's told me all about you two. I'm so glad that she made some friends on the expedition."_

"Dude," Jett whispered to Logan. "Rietta's gonna look like _that _in about two years!"

"I know!" Logan whispered back. "Hey, that reminds me. You should've seen the picture Emma sent me with her sister. It's like every girl we know has a hot older sister."

"Hell, _you _have two hot older sisters and they're _twins_!"

"Well, your fortuneteller cousin is hot and-"

"_Boys! I'm still here and I really don't want to listen to who has the hottest relative, but thank you for the compliments. Rietta's excited for the beach, but you know, she's not gonna show how excited she is." _

"Where is she?" Logan asked. "We haven't seen her or any of our other friends since Malcolm and Lexi's wedding and we really miss Rietta..."

"_Hmm..." _Aria muttered. "_Where did she go running of to? I don't remember where she said she was going..."_

The door to Logan's room creaked slightly and a girl with big, brown eyes slipped into the room without being noticed. She had slightly pale skin and long, dark brown hair, kept in place by her signature purple headband.

"It's not like she's gonna go anywhere other than the library," Jett remarked. "I mean seriously, she can't be that hard to fine."

"Yeah..." Logan replied. "I'm gonna have to go with Jett on this one..." He suddenly felt something hit his head. "Ouch! What the hell?"

"_Now I remember!" _Aria said. "_She said she was going to Viridian!"_

"Rietta!" the boys shouted in unison as they spun around to greet their friend. Before the girl could respond, she was bombarded with hugs from Logan, Jett, and Mawile.

"Okay, I'm happy to see you guys too!" Rietta shouted as she was lifted into the air. "Now, put me down, Jett!"

Jett grinned at Logan and he nodded his head. Rietta was immediately passed to Logan, still in the air. He spun her around a few times before he and Jett began passing the girl back and forth.

"Alright!" Logan said as he helped Rietta on the floor. "That's enough of that."

"_I'll let you three get reacquainted! Rietta, remember to wear clean-"_

_"_Bye, Aria!" the Rietta said quickly as she shut off the webcam. She turned around to face her friends and the three stood in silence for a few moments before Logan's phone went off. He stepped outside the room and answered.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"_Logan, it's Xavier."_

"Xavier! Is this really you?"

"_Yeah. Hey, I need to speak to you and your two friends. It's really important. If I send someone, will you three be able to come?"_

"Sure, I guess."

_"Good. I'll see you when you get here_..."

* * *

A black limousine stopped in front of the gates and a young man with dark blond hair rushed out to greet his friends.

The first one he saw exit the limousine was a handsome young man with grey eyes and fair skin that _seemed _flawless. His most distinguishing feature was his long, flowing brown hair that was tied into a low ponytail that reached the middle of his back.

The second one was a tall and very muscular young man with dull brown eyes, slightly tan skin, and short, light brown hair.

The final person to exit the limousine was a young woman with long, shiny, dark hair and tan skin. She was short and had a petite build. Her cat-like green eyes seemed to glow whenever she gazed at the blond boy.

"_Shaaaaaaane!" _the girl shrieked as she jumped in the blond boy's arms.

"Long time, no see," Shane said to his friends as the girl released the hug and climbed on his back. "Rolen, Tinett, it's weird not seeing you two everyday..."

"Sorry I didn't keep in touch, Clarke," the long-haired boy said as he reached in the limousine and retrieved what looked like a large board wrapped in silver paper with a blue bow on it. "But, being Eddie Rolen II a.k.a. the hottest male model in the world takes time..."

"Just be careful with that ponytail," Shane warned. "Or you'll end up looking like that fruit, Lin Danze."

The four friends roared in laughter as Shane turned to the muscular boy. "Tinett, Jewel told me that she heard that you and your Machoke won some kind of strength competition? Do you have like a trophy or something?"

Tinett nodded his head and suddenly pointed forward. Shane saw two girls walking towards them.

The first one had bright blue eyes with long, wavy, sun-streaked, dirty blond hair and tan skin that seemed to have a gold tinge. She had a slender build and a relaxed gaze on her face.

The second girl had dark eyes with fair skin and a thin build and long fingernails. Her long, red hair was a frizzy mess, but she seemed not to be bothered by it at all.

"Mari!" Jewel yelled as she hopped off of Shane's back and wrapped her arms around the two girls. "Lulu! I missed you two!"

"Cool," Shane said. "Everyone's here. Come on in. My father wants us to meet someone..."

* * *

**So this chapter was basically reuniting from both sides. It was short, but I needed to include some sort of reuniting for the next chapter which is a VERY important part of the plot. Anyway, if you want to, feel free to review. If not, that's fine too. Also, feel free to come to the forum and discuss the Louhearst series!**

**Later! **


	3. Warriors of the Heart

**Warriors of the Heart**

"So..." Logan started as he glanced at the tall, bald, dark-skinned man in the driver's seat. "You said your name was-"

"Agent Mark Jones..." the man finished as he continued staring at the road. "I work for the government and my partner is Agent Peter Quentin. However, recent activity has made me realize that I have to break a few rules in order to stop the Soul Destroyers..."

"So, you're helping Dean Horace instead of trying to keep everything quiet like most of the government?" Logan asked curiously.

Agent Jones nodded his head as he adjusted his dark sunglasses. "Logan," Rietta called from the back seat. "Do you believe this guy is an actual government agent? I mean, he has the attitude and the suit and stuff, but I'd prefer to have more concrete proof."

"Proof?" Agent Jones asked without turning around.

"Yeah," Jett said. "Proof. How do we know you're an actual agent for the government?"

"Your names are Henrietta Mackenzie and Jett Mitchell," Jones began. "Henrietta, we'll start with you. Your friends call you by your nickname, Rietta. You hate when people call you 'Henri' because it's a boy's name. You were born to Mason and Rose Mackenzie and you have an older sister named, Aria. You also have a friend named Ilys Benjamin who is a dedicated, but sometimes annoying matchmaker. You're at the top of your class at Louhearst and you hate sports. Your first Pokémon was a Misdreavus, now a Mismagius, that you nicknamed, Faye, whom you received from your sister, Aria. Oh, and your favorite colors are purple and teal..."

A smirk formed on Jones's face before he continued. "Jett, your turn. You were born to Jake and Carla Mitchell _née _Zavala. You have an older brother named, Jerry. You're cousin is the fortune teller, Cynda Zavala, daughter of your mother's twin brother, Carlos Zavala. You are extremely popular with the ladies and you received your CPR license this past summer. You are at the top of the bottom third at Louhearst and you're a moderately skilled athlete. Your first Pokémon was an Electrike, now a Manectric, that your mother gave you and your favorite colors are grey and green..."

"I can also tell you what time you two went to the bathroom today and what you did while you were in there..."

Jett and Rietta's eyes widened and they immediately sat back in their seats as Logan grinned at them. "I guess you already know about me, Agent Jones?"

"I do..." Jones replied. "I know everything about you, your friends, your enemies, your Pokémon. The government has eyes everywhere. We know all, see all. At least that's the image we try to keep up. Of course, there are a few places that are exceptions..."

* * *

A tall man with grey eyes and black hair, dressed in a suit and dark sunglasses, entered the large bedroom in Clarke Mansion. By his side was a woman with sleek brown hair and piercing green eyes, dressed in an even darker suit.

The enormous bedroom was split in two floors. The first one contained several large black couches and a large glass table. To the right was a dining table with four chairs. There was a spiral staircase that led to the next floor where a large king-sized bed was visible. To the far right of the second floor was an expensive desk with a large computer. Around the room was several trophies as well as dozens of posters of a Seviper and a girl with long, shiny dark hair and blond highlights. The girl was in various outfits doing various poses on the them, ranging from very classy to moderately sensible to extremely lewd. However, her cat-like green eyes were always the focal point of the posters.

"My name is Agent Peter Quentin," the man started as he gazed at the six teenagers scattered around the room. "I work for the government. This is Miss Stuckerland..."

"How are you?" the woman greeted in a friendly tone. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you," the boy with the dark blond hair replied. "My father said that you two wanted to speak with me and my friends?"

"That is correct," Agent Quentin replied. "We know all about you. Lulu Acasio, Mari Summers, Cole Tinett, Edward Rolen II, Julie LaCruz, and of course, Shane Clarke..."

"I believe it is time to tell them..." Miss Stuckerland stated.

Quentin nodded his head. "We heard about what happened with your classmate, Logan Martin, at the end of last year. We want everyone at your school to know that the government has the situation with the Soul Destroyers is under control, so we've decided to take action. Miss Stuckerland here is now the new assistant Dean of Louhearst and we've approved a new program for students such as yourself."

"New program?" Shane asked curiously.

"Yes," Miss Stuckerland answered. "You see, we need you six as well as a few other students to be the 'police' of the school. The Student Police, as we're calling them. We want the Student Police to help keep kids quiet about the Soul Destroyers and hand out punishments to anyone breaking the rule."

"Hold on," Shane said as a smirk formed on his face. "You're saying that as long as we work for this 'Student Police Squad' and keep everyone quiet about the Soul Destroyers, we have the power to like hand out detentions and stuff like that?"

Stuckerland nodded her head. "We want you to be the captain, Mr. Clarke. What do you say? We'll even throw in a megaphone for you to use."

Shane grinned. His father had always said that the government was full of incompetent officials and Shane could tell that he was right. They didn't even have any idea that they were in a Soul Destroyer's _home_. "Deal..."

* * *

Agent Jones parked the car in front of a run-down building in the middle of an abandoned field and the trio stepped out. "This is one of those...exceptions I was talking about..." Jones stated as he knocked on the door. "This field is guarded by several Hypno who put anyone trespassers to sleep. Only authorized members of the Warriors are allowed here..."

"Warriors?" the trio said in unison.

"Correct," Jones replied as he began knocking on the door. "The Warriors of the Heart, dedicated to defeating the Soul Destroyers and preventing them from starting their so-called 'New World'."

_"Whose there?"_

"Mark Jones. I've brought Logan Martin and his two friends, Jett Mitchell and Henrietta Mackenzie..."

The door opened and a man with pale brown eyes and wavy gray-brown hair kept in a small ponytail answered the door. He had a weathered-looking face and was dressed in Bermuda shorts, thickly-strapped sandals, and a years-old Hawaiian t-shirt with pictures of palm fronds all over it. The man looked like a complete beach hobo.

"Caz!" Logan and Jett said in unison.

"The one and only!" Professor McCaslin replied as he ushered them in. "And it's Cazishi! Oh, and Jett, I never received your Archeology paper over the fossils of Hoenn."

"My Manectric ate it," Jett replied simply.

"Wait a minute," Logan started. "Caz, why are you here?"

"He's a member of the Warriors," Jones answered. "Like a few of your other teachers..."

"Other teachers?" Rietta said.

As if on cue, several people came from the back room. The first one was a woman with curly auburn hair and blue-green eyes, the second one was a man with hooded teal eyes and messy, layered, black hair, and the third one was a large man with ebony colored eyes and matching hair in a long ponytail.

"It's Pine and Bourne," Logan remarked. "And Crum, too..."

"Where's Professor Jenny?" Jett asked slyly.

_"Down here, numbskull..."_

The trio saw a short man with green hair and mahogany eyes step in front of the professors. "Are there only professors here?" Rietta asked.

_"Not exactly. Did you get that splinter, Rietta?"_

A young woman with long, curly dark hair, caramel colored eyes, and light brown skin stepped into the room. She was dressed in stereotypical fortune-teller garb and had a large grin on her face.

"Cynda?" Jett exclaimed.

"The one and only," the woman replied. "Now follow us..."

She led the trio, along with Agent Jones and the professors, towards the back of the building. Logan noticed that the hallways kept getting narrower as they went further back. They reached a lone door at the very back of the building and Logan felt a familiar pain in his head.

"Xavier," Cynda said as she opened the door. "They're here..."

She led them in a room where Logan noticed his parents, Coco, and Caper in a deep conversation. The only member of his immediate family who wasn't there was his sister, Riri. Lying in the middle of the floor was a Charizard and sitting down in the chair was a young man with dark hair and hazel eyes. He was skimming through the pages of a large black book at an extremely fast pace.

"Dad? Mom?" Logan started. "Is this is where you guys have been? And Coco, how did you even get here before me and where's Riri?"

"Mom and Dad have been here all day," Coco explained as she moved closer to Caper. "I got here because Matthew came to get me and he let me drive. You know what a fast driver I am. Oh, and Riri didn't come because as you know, she is a complete bitch."

"Coco, please don't call your sister a bitch," Owen told her."She's just...moody at times..."

"Xavier," Cynda repeated. "Logan is here..."

The young man closed the book and stood up. "I guess you're wondering why I called you and your friends here?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"With the help of your mother and Dean Horace, I discovered some more information about the Soul Destroyers and the code. You remember that the book of Saul Vella mentioned something about you uniting four masters?"

"Yeah, I never really got that part..."

"There are four artifacts that belong to each of the four masters that can be used to awaken their powers. Dean Horace has the first one secured, though he couldn't tell me what it was. All I know is that it keeps Monsiadem and the Soul Destroyers out of Louhearst. Now, I have received news from Agent Jones that the government has hidden the second one deep in Silver Cave and I believe the Soul Destroyers will try to look for it this year. The third one is somewhere in Hoenn and the fourth one is a complete mystery..."

Logan stared at him in confusion. "So what you're saying is that if we combine all four of these artifacts, we can decipher the code..."

"Exactly," Xavier replied. "The artifact in Silver Cave is a miniature statue of a Machamp. You know the legend behind Machoke and Machamp?"

"If you remove the power-save belt, they'll be unstoppable," Rietta quickly answered. "It's just a myth, though."

"It's more than a myth, Henrietta," Xavier said. "But, it does take an incredible amount of power just to remove the belt. That is why it represents the second master, but that's not relevant right now."

"Hold it," Jett interrupted. "Do you like need us to get this miniature statue or something?"

Xavier shook his head. "I lost my only friend to the Soul Destroyers and I wouldn't want you all to share the same fate as Don. That's why the Warriors of the Heart exist; to prevent something like that ever happening again. I just wanted to give you this important information..."

"Xavier, can I talk to you for a second?" Cynda asked him.

"Wait," Jett said. "Are you two...?"

"It's nothing like that," Xavier answered. "Is it, Cynda?" Cynda simply shrugged her shoulders as she led him out of the room.

"_Okay_..." Agent Jones muttered into his earpiece. "_Over and out..." _

"Is something the matter?" Iris asked, speaking for the first time.

"Zaria Vella and several other Soul Destroyers are on the loose not too far from here..." Jones gestured over to Logan, Jett, and Rietta. "Come on, you three. I have to get you out of here..."

* * *

**And so, we have the names for the people opposing the Soul Destroyers. The Warriors of the Heart or just 'Heart Warriors' for short. Also, it seems the government is getting more involved as well, so I'll probably need some Heart Warriors or Government workers OC's. And, we got a few Xavier/Cynda hints. :D Feel free to join the discussion on my forum.**

**Later! **


	4. The First Attack

**The First Attack**

The ride in Agent Jones's car was full of silence. Jones was focusing on the road while Logan, Jett, and Rietta were in their own worlds.

"_The second artifact is deep in Silver Cave..." _Logan thought. "_And the expedition is going to Johto this year. Xavier told me that it would be too dangerous, but-"_

His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly felt something slam hard into the car. Agent Jones lost control of the wheel and the car immediately began spinning in circles. "Get down!" he yelled at the trio. "We're being attacked!"

"_Draaaa_!"

Multiple purple darts began shooting into the the windows. Logan put his hands over his head as he dropped to the seat of the car. He heard a cry of pain coming from the backseat before the purple darts finally stopped shooting. Everything went silent as Logan struggled to get out of the car. They were in a large field not too far from the building where they had met Xavier and the other Warriors.

"Logan!" he heard Jett call out. "Logan!"

He made his way towards him and his eyes widened when he saw Rietta. Tears were streaming down her face and her skin had started becoming deathly pale. A bright purple dart protruded from her chest, just inches from her heart.

"I need an ambulance!" Jones yelled into his earpiece. "Immediately!"

_"I see Zaria's Drapion did some damage! That's too bad, we were hoping to have some fun with Mackenzie, but she's as good as dead. Just like Don Meladeo..."_

A young man with dark eyes and greasy dark hair came into view along with four other men who seemed to be about the same age as their leader. They were all dressed similar and moved in the same fashion.

"The Cherry Boys..." Logan muttered.

"Who else?" Luther Kross replied. "I said I was gonna kill you and all your friends. First for humiliating me and second for turning my sister against me. Prepare to die, Logan Martin..."

Jones stepped in front of the trio. "Get Rietta to safety until the ambulance arrives," he told them. "I'll hold off the Cherry Boys. Go!"

Logan and Jett draped Rietta's arms around their shoulders and they hurried off.

"Five on one!" Kross yelled at Jones. "You're going down! We'll kill Martin afterwards."

"Don't count me out, Kross," Jones told him as he reached for a Poké Ball. "Swampert, let's go..."

* * *

_"This is so fun! I hope Drapion is enjoying her little adventure. It's been such a long time since she's been out. Hmm, I wonder how many souls can we steal today?"_

The voice came from a woman standing on a hill overlooking the field. She had long, dark hair with hazel eyes, and fair skin. The expression on her face resembled a Skarmory that was about to catch it's prey, her nails were long and unkempt, and her sharp teeth looked more like fangs.

"_It's really you_..."

The woman turned around to see a younger woman with the same hazel eyes that belonged to her. She was dressed in Bohemian clothing and had long, frizzy, brown hair along with fair skin.

"Iris!" the dark-haired woman yelled as she began cackling uncontrollably. "It's been such a long time. Come give your big sister a kiss on the cheek!"

"Listen, Zaria," the younger woman began. "I don't know how you got out, but you're going back to prison."

"Nah, I don't really feel like it right now," Zaria replied nonchalantly. "I'd rather reminisce about my fond memories of you. Do you still have those scars? I remember throwing salt in all those pretty wounds of yours! Remember, how much it burned, Ivy? Hearing you squeal was like music to my ears. I'm sure it will be the same after I'm through with your son!"

The younger woman's eyes turned a reddish color and she charged at her older sister. The two women began rolling down the hill, punching and kicking one another along the way. When they reached the bottom of the hill, Zaria attempted to reach for her gun. Iris grabbed her arm, causing the trigger to go off in several directions as she attempted to wrestle the firearm from her sister.

"Let go, so I can kill you, you stupid bitch!" Zaria shouted. "You're wasting all the bullets!"

"Give it up, Zaria!" Iris yelled. "I will not allow you to harm anyone else!"

Zaria elbowed Iris in her face and kicked her in her back causing her to stumble forward. "Clear shot!" Zaria said happily as she aimed the firearm at her sister's back. The sound of an extremely loud firecracker was heard as Iris Martin hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Zaria shifted her aim. "So long, Iris..."

Zaria pulled the trigger repeatedly, but it was to no avail.

"Out of bullets..." she muttered as she approached her sister. "Oh well, I got one shot in, so that's decent enough. You look like you're in a lot of pain, little sister. So much blood...I wish I had some salt to throw in your wound, but this will suffice. You might survive, but I'd say, Ivy is in _need _of an IV!" She began cackling madly before regaining her composure. "Now, if I may be excused, I have some _quality _time to spend with my son..."

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Logan said as his eyes widened. "It sounded like...like...gun shots..."

"We can't worry about it now," Jett told him urgently. "Rietta, are you still awake?"

She nodded her head weakly as Jett grabbed the poisonous dart. "What are you going to do?" Logan asked him.

"We gotta remove the dart if we want to stop more poison from getting in..." he replied. "Rietta, this is gonna hurt a lot. Just think about ice cream or any of your favorite desserts. Okay?"

She nodded her head as Jett reached for the dart. Logan closed his eyes as he heard Rietta scream in pain before she fell back onto the ground.

"That's it..." Logan started as tears welled in his eyes. "This has gone on far enough. I'm not losing another friend. Jett, stay here with Rietta until the ambulance arrives. I'm going to help Jones. If anything happens to her, Luther Kross is dead..."

He immediately sped off, ignoring all of Jett's protests. When he arrived on the scene, he noticed Jones's Swampert surrounded by a Zangoose, a Scizor, a Sandslash, a Nidoking, and an Abomasnow. Much to Logan's surprise, Swampert seemed to be fairing well. He reached for four of his Poké Balls.

_"Golduck, Primeape, Bellossom, Crobat! Let's go!"_

Logan's Pokémon hurried to join Swampert. The match was now even. He glared daggers at Luther Kross before commanding his Pokemon.

"Golduck!" he started. "Hydro Pump! Primeape use Close Combat! Bellossom, Leaf Storm! Crobat, Cross Poision!"

_"Goooooolduuuck!"_

_"Priiiiiiii!"_

_"Bellllooosom!"_

_"Crooooooo!"_

He had lost himself in rage and was now ordering his Pokémon to unleash their most powerful attacks on the Cherry Boys. The power of the combined attacks easily defeated the Cherry Boys's Pokémon until only Luther Kross's Zangoose remained.

"Zangoose, finish them!" Kross yelled as he and his cronies ran off in different directions.

"Stay here with Jones!" Logan ordered as he chased after Kross. "You're dead!"

As he ran from the younger boy through the large field, Kross cursed himself for his smoking habits. Logan was catching up to him. He tried to pull out his blade, only for it to slip from his grasp as he continued being chased down by the younger boy. Logan grabbed the knife off of the ground as Kross lost his footing and fell on his stomach.

"You don't wanna do this, Martin..." he said nervously as Logan held the blade to his throat.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't!" Logan yelled as he began shivering. "You helped Monsiadem kill Don Meladeo and now my best friend is about to lose her life. Good people keep losing their lives while scum like you go on without a care in the world."

"Go ahead," Kross replied. "Go ahead and kill me. How would Zoey react if she knew that one of her closest friends killed her only brother? She'd be devastated. You don't have it in you, Martin. You're just like Clarke. He pulled a knife on me, but he didn't go through with it. In fact, you two are just like Samuel Clarke if you think about it. He sends others to do the dirty work while he sits on his rich ass. You're all the same. Just one big family of cowards! Your mother-"

Logan clenched the blade tighter as he began shivering even more. Kross suddenly knocked the blade out of his hand and punched the younger boy in his stomach, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Later!" he yelled as he immediately ran off. "See you in the next life, Logan Martin!"

* * *

"Okay..." Jett started as he removed Rietta's cardigan and shirt. "It's just CPR. The ambulance is on it's way and she's going to die if you don't do something soon, but damn, I only took the class to meet chicks. I never expected to actually have to perform CPR. Come on, Jett, you can do it even though it's nothing like TV. So what if she pukes in your mouth or you screw up and she..."

He took a deep breath as he placed his hands on Rietta's sternum. "Not too far down..." he told himself as he moved his hands a little further above her bra. "Fifteen compressions, no that's for kids. Rietta's in the adult category. Thirty compressions and two breaths, right?"

He began performing the compressions in rhythm as he gave Rietta the breaths. He knew that one of the essential rule of CPR was that you never quit. He repeated the process for several minutes until he felt something shoot in his mouth. He immediately pulled back as Rietta began coughing and vomiting involuntarily.

"Ugh...so gross..." Jett muttered as the ambulence approached them. "Great, come after she pukes in my mouth! Whatever, at least she's alive..."

He took a deep breath as Rietta was loaded onto the ambulance by the paramedics and their Chansey. "Shit, I gotta go find Logan..."

* * *

Xavier, Owen, and Cynda hurried through the field on Xavier's Charizard when several purple darts began shooting at them. Charizard headed for the ground and Xavier hopped off.

"Stay on Charizard and go make sure everyone's okay!" he told them. "I'll take care of this..."

Charizard took flight as Xavier approached the Drapion. "It's been a long time, Drapion..." he muttered. "I see you're still working for my mother after all these years. I would've thought you changed while Zaria was in prison, but I guess not..."

_"Draaaaa!"_

Drapion screeched in pride as his owner emerged from the shadows.

"Xavier, Xavier, Xavier," Zaria began. "Ugh, I should've gotten you aborted when I had the chance. You know, I wanted to the second I found out that I was pregnant, but your foolish aunts stopped me from getting rid of your worthless ass. You were never meant to live. You were an accident, a mistake!"

"Well, this _mistake _is going to come back to haunt you, Mother," Xavier shot back calmly. "You killed Carla Mitchell and countless others. So many people and Pokémon died at your hands and you've shown no remorse."

"Carla Mitchell deserved to die," Zaria replied. "Just like Iris does, just like the Rouxs, just like you...Would you like to know about your father before I kill you?"

"My father?"

Zaria nodded her head. "He was twenty years old at the time and he was serving as an intern for the history teacher at Louhearst. I was in my fourth and final year. He was so easy to seduce. I'm surprised you haven't figured out the clues. Your first name is the same as his middle name and vice-versa. Mr. J.X.T."

"J.X.T.?" Xavier muttered as his eyes widened. "No, impossible..."

"Mr. John Xavier-"

"Shut up!" Xavier yelled. "You're lying!"

"Am I? He knows you're his, but he doesn't care and I don't blame him. He knows you were never meant to live. Like I said, I should've gotten you aborted when I had the chance. I can only imagine the pain you would've felt as a fetus, but it's never too late to fix a mistake! Prepare to die!"

_"You're wrong! He's not the mistake, you are!"_

Zaria turned around to see Iris struggling to walk. She was clutching herself as blood spilled from her shoulder. "You just won't die, will you, Ivy?" Zaria remarked. "I mean, I shot you and you're still up! Do the world a favor and kill over..."

"As long as my children are in danger, I will never die..." Iris replied as she moved beside Xavier. "If there is one thing Laurina and I can agree on is that you must _always _love your child. Even Samuel realizes that..."

"You're so melodramatic, Iris..." Zaria replied as she noticed several Pokémon approaching. "Shit, I've wasted enough time. I'll get rid of you two another day. Drapion, it's time to depart!"

_"Draaaaa!"_

Xavier fought back the urge to chase after them when he realized that his aunt was in desperate need of medical attention. He placed her on the ground and noticed that her eyes were still open. He heard Coco shriek as she led the Heart Warriors towards them.

"Mom!" she shouted as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Mom, we're gonna get you help! Please, don't-"

"It's not a fatal wound," Iris whispered softly. "I'm okay, sweetheart..."

* * *

**I told you guys I was going to be a little merciful. No one's dead, but two people are critically injured because of Zaria's attack. I wanted to use this chapter to show how the threat of the Soul Destroyers is increasing. I hope I did a good job with the description especially during the CPR scene. **

**Anyway, come join the Louhearst Medieval RP at Lolli's forum and play as your character in medieval times! **

**Later! **


	5. Operation Roux

**A/N: As I mentioned on the forums, I had to push back the beach chapter in order to advance the plot and get over my writer's block. There IS still going to be a beach chapter, so don't fret. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Operation Roux**

Shane Clarke walked into the enormous common room of the mansion to see a beautiful woman with ocean blue eyes, long blonde hair, and nearly flawless skin on the phone, in the middle of a deep conversation.

"Are you serious?" she shouted in the phone. "You _shot _her? Zaria, what would Mother say if she were still alive? Yes...I realize that Iris is a lunatic. However...Very well, I will speak with you later..."

Laurina Clarke hung up the phone and looked up to see her son staring at her in confusion. "Mother...I came to tell you that we were about to leave for the plane to Cherrygrove City. Is everything alright?"

"Apparently your Aunt Zaria was involved in an attack against Logan Martin about two weeks ago..."

"Martin?"

Laurina nodded her head. "Iris Martin was shot by Zaria and the Mackenzie girl was poisoned by your aunt's Drapion. I believe both of them were in the hospital."

"Really?" Shane replied. "I thought it was something bad. I mean, I couldn't care less about Iris Martin, but Muk-Face Mackenzie? Yeah, this is pretty much a prayer that's been answered. It's too bad the ambulance didn't crash on the way to the hospital with Muk-Face in it. That would have made a story. Plus, she probably wouldn't need plastic surgery. Not even a car crash can make her any uglier than she already is..."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Laurina said as she kissed her son on the forehead. "Neither of them are of any concern to me. Have fun in Johto, Shane..."

* * *

"Mom, once again, I'm sorry," Logan said sincerely. "Like for real. I thought I should let you know before I leave."

"You should be!" Riri shouted at him. "It's your fault-"

"Don't blame him!" Coco yelled at her twin. "You're the one who didn't come to the meeting! At least he was there!"

Iris stepped in between her daughters. "Corral, Rielle, please sit down." Logan snickered as his sisters took a seat. He always found it hilarious when they were called by their full names. Iris adjusted her cast before speaking. "Listen, you three. I am fine. I want you to quit worrying. In several weeks, I will have this cast taken off and it will be like it never happened."

"It _did _happen, though..." Logan said. "My friend was poisoned and if it wasn't for Agent Jones and Jett, things could have gotten worse. If I hadn't been so mad at you-"

"Logan, relax," Iris said calmly. "You are wearing yourself out. I talked to Henrietta's mother. She told me that she's doing just fine. You didn't leave with Zoey last night and as much as it pains me to see one of my children leave for nine months, I need you to go to Louhearst. Dean Horace can offer better protection than I can and your father agrees. Now, please go. Jett is outside waiting for you."

"Bye, Logan..." the twins said in unison.

"I'll be fine," Iris said as she kissed her son on the forehead. "And for the hundredth time, apology accepted. Have fun in Johto, Logan..."

He grabbed the rest of his stuff and rushed outside to see Jett texting on his phone. "Dude, what was taking you so long? I was just texting you."

"I was just saying bye to my mom and sisters," Logan told him. "Anyway, I heard Rietta's doing pretty good."

"Yeah. Aria told me that the medicine she's been taking has been making her like loopy and it makes her super hungry. It's like a stoner pill if you think about it. Anyway, let's get ready to-"

_"Yoohoo, Jett!" _

A silver sports-car pulled up beside them and Logan saw a girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and grey eyes step out of the car. She had slightly tan skin and a small, petite build.

"Jessica!" Jett nearly yelled. "H-How did you get that car?"

"_Birthday _present," she remarked dryly. "Oh, but you wouldn't know since you dumped me two hours before I got it. I wanted to apologize to you about the whole 'cheating' thing. I'm willing to give us a second chance if you take a ride with me to Louhearst. Oh, did I forget to tell you that-"

"You're going to Louhearst!" Jett finished. "And all I have to do is get back together with you to ride in that badass sports-car?"

"Would you rather drive?" she asked as she winked at him.

"Hell yeah!" he shouted as he dashed for the driver's seat. "Logan, I'll see you in Cherrygrove with my new girlfriend! Later!"

Before Logan could reply, the car was already hallway down the street. He couldn't help to laugh at the situation as he made his way up a small dirt road. He found a small, lush green hill and took a seat before opening Mawile's Poké Ball.

"_Mawile_?"

"I just wanted someone to talk to," he told her. "You know I'm not going to go crying to everyone about my problems, but you're different, Mawile. I can actually talk to you."

"_Mawiiiile!_"

She nodded her head as she jumped in Logan's arms. "Thanks, Mawile." He took a deep breath. "Don's dead, there's a leader of a terrorist organization after me, Rietta got poisoned, Mom was shot and the government is trying to hide everything. The Mt. Moon thing still hasn't blown over and it's like things are just getting worse. And that's only the Soul Destroyer stuff. Two years ago, we wouldn't have even dreamed of any of this stuff happening to us."

"_Mawiiile_..."

"It made me realize that I had it so easy. The only thing in my life I didn't like was how annoying that Maggie Bellingham was and even she wasn't that bad. Even after I got to Louhearst, my biggest problem until Mt. Moon was just Clarke. After that it was the Cherry Boys and after I beat them, everything went smoothly for a while. I guess you can really never plan anything."

"_Maawiiile_..."

_"There you are..."_

* * *

Logan stood up and made his way down the hill as Xavier got off his Charizard. "Xavier, what are you doing here?"

"Listen," he began. "There are some things I want you to know. In life, there are things that are out of your control. What happened to Don Meladeo was not your fault. The same thing goes for what happened to your friend and your mother. That attack from Zaria was Monsiadem's fault. That being said, you never know what is going to happen next and not even fortune tellers like Cynda can fully predict the future."

"Where are you going with this?" Logan asked curiously.

Xavier took a deep breath. "Don was one of my only friends and I lost him at the hands of the Soul Destroyers. Your mother and friend were lucky to have survived, but the truth is, people and Pokémon are going to die. Lord Monsiadem and the Soul Destroyers are ruthless terrorists and will stop at nothing until they conquer the world."

"Is it true...?" Logan muttered. "If Monsiadem kills me and destroys my soul, I won't exist? What does that even mean?"

"I think I can answer that question. I got a lot of useful information from Saul Vella's book and from other sources. When people and Pokémon die, their souls go directly to the afterlife and they live on with full memories of their entire lives. If your soul is stolen, you cannot pass on. You'll be stuck wherever your soul is being held hostage at, but you can pass on if you're soul is freed. However, if a soul is destroyed...then yes, the person or Pokémon will cease to exist. They will be gone forever and everything they were, every memory they held, every emotion they shared vanishes completely. It is a fate worse than death..."

Xavier glanced at the horrified look on his younger cousin's face. His eyes were widened and his breathing had become heavier. Mawile seemed to be in a similar state.

"Gone forever..." Logan whispered to himself. "Gone...forever..."

"Which is why you must live," Xavier said. "And Monsiadem must be dealt with. Saul Vella knew about this stuff which is the main reason that he had a change of heart. Hell, if Samuel Clarke or even the most dangerous Soul Destroyers knew exactly what Monsiadem was planning, they would be sick to their stomachs. Listen, I'm not trying to scare you, Logan, but you have the right to know what will happen if Monsiadem wins and that's why, you must be strong. That being said, I want you to have something..."

Logan stared at Xavier in confusion as he handed him a Poké Ball. "A Poké Ball..."

Xavier nodded his head as Charizard moved closer to them. "I want you to have...Charizard."

_"WHAAAT?"_

"I want you to have Charizard," Xavier repeated calmly. "She and I made this decision together and she has accepted it."

"She? Wait, you never said your Charizard was a girl..."

"I never said she _wasn't _a girl," Xavier remarked as a faint smile formed on his face. "Anyway, like I said, Don was one of my only friends in the world. He was like family to me and blood couldn't have made us any closer. However, Don's soul passed on when he was killed. As long as Monsiadem is alive, your very existence is in danger. Charizard is an excellent flier and she can protect you."

"Xavier, I can't accept your Charizard. I mean, she was the first Pokémon you had. You raised her from a Charmander. That's like me getting rid of Mawile or Bellossom. They were given to me by my mom and my sisters and-"

"Charizard was given to me as a Charmander by your mother," Xavier interrupted. "I only turned out this way because of your mother's influence. Without her, I don't know where I would have ended up. The least I can do for my aunt is protect her only son from a fate worse than death. Don't worry about me. I have other Pokémon and this is not only for your protection."

Logan arched an eyebrow. "It's not?"

"It's for Charizard's protection as well. There are plenty of things I have to do for the Heart Warriors and all of my allies as well as my enemies, are aware that I have a Charizard. If she is with you, under the protection of Dean Horace, her safety is guaranteed. Please, Logan, do this for me."

Logan stared at Charizard and then at the Poké Ball in his hand. He sighed before nodding his head. "I'll take her, but I'm going to have to leave a Pokémon here in Viridian City. Riri's always talking about how she wants to use Crobat to scare away the kids from our yard..."

"I'll take Crobat to your sisters," Xavier told him.

Logan nodded his head and handed over Crobat's Poké Ball to Xavier. "So, I guess this is it, for now?"

"Take care of yourself, Logan. Charizard, be good for Logan..."

"When will I see you again? Will you be back as Jimmy Ames?"

"I'm afraid my days as a janitor are over, but whenever you need me, I'll be there. You can count on it..."

Xavier gave his younger cousin a quick hug before doing the same to Charizard. Logan watched as he disappeared down the old dirt road leaving him alone with Mawile and Charizard.

"Well," he started. "Me and Jett were going to go through Tohjo Falls, but since he's hitting 90 in a 35, he'll probably be in Cherrygrove in about five minutes. Ugh, I wish Emma had a cell phone so I could call her and let her know that I still haven't left. We're already behind and it will be morning by the time we get to Cherrygrove if we go through Tohjo Falls, so "I think-"

"_Hey, Logan!"_

He looked up to see Roux flying towards them on her own Charizard, Vulcan.

_"There you are! Vulcan, go ahead and land..."_

* * *

"So, that's the whole story..." Logan finished. "You're the only one I'm going to tell. I don't want Jett, Rietta, or Emma knowing at least not just yet. So can you try to keep it a secret?"

"Sure..." Roux replied as she stared at the ground. "I mean this is bigger than anything I ever imagined. It's more than just life and death. It's like your very existence."

"Uh, yeah. That's why I asked you to keep it a secret. You're the only one I can tell who won't freak out..."

"Well, it was cool that Xavier gave you his Charizard. Look, Logan, you've been through a lot lately, and I came by to see if you wanted to you know, take your mind off of everything."

"Definitely..."

Roux grinned and then hopped on Vulcan. "Well, it's time for part one of Operation: Take Logan's mind off of all this crap." She grinned. "There's an abandoned warehouse right before you get to Tohjo Falls. Get on your Charizard and race me there."

"Hmm, what do you say, Charizard? Are you up for it?"

Charizard nodded her head as Mawile climbed on Logan's shoulders. He carefully made his way on Charizard's back and awaited the signal from Roux.

_"Go!"_

* * *

Logan looked back and grinned as he rode through the sky on Charizard. They had passed Roux and Vulcan moments ago and now they were nowhere in sight. He looked at the land below to see a run-down warehouse a few miles from Tohjo Falls.

"There it is, Charizard! Go ahead and land!"

Charizard landed on the ground and Logan hopped off of her with Mawile in his arms. "Ha! It looks like we beat-"

"_Took you long enough_..."

The dark-haired, green-eyed girl approached them with a large smirk on her face. "You so cheated," Logan told her.

"Cheated or outsmarted?" Roux replied. "Come on, let's go inside. It's time for part two of Operation: Take Logan's mind off of all this crap."

They entered the warehouse and Logan noticed that it was full of junk. It contained absolutely nothing that would be of any use. "Roux, what's the point of coming here?"

"To help you get your mind off of everything," she answered simply as she picked up an old wooden bat and smashed a nearby lamp. "And nothing does that better than breaking random shit." She tossed him the bat. "Here, try it."

"Alright..." Logan said as he smashed the small table with the bat. "You know, this does feel kinda good." He smashed a couple of carts and grinned. "Hey, Mawile, Charizard, come on in!"

"_Maaaawiiile!_"

Mawile rushed in and immediately began breaking things while Charizard was more reserved. Roux called her Charizard in as well as she began smashing the windows of the warehouse.

"No reason, we can't all have a little fun," she said as she reached for the rest of her Poké Balls. "Logan, let out your other Pokémon!"

No less than five minutes later, there was complete chaos in the warehouse. Mawile, Golduck, Bellossom, and Primeape seemed to be having an endless amount of fun along with Roux's Plusle, Politoed, Absol, and Porygon2. Charizard and Vulcan were flying around outside the warehouse. As a matter of fact, the only two not having fun was Roux's Chimecho and Zangoose. The former was due to shyness while the latter was just being himself.

"Come on, Zangoose," Logan told him. "Have a little fun. You see those glass tables over there? Why don't you use Crush Claw?"

"_Zaaan_..."

He reluctantly went along with his trainer and began smashing the tables. By the time everything was nearly destroyed, the sun had set and night had arrived. The group made their way out of the warehouse and to the outside of Tohjo Falls.

"Alright everyone," Logan began as he moved closer to Charizard. "I want you all to be nice to Charizard." He looked directly at Zangoose. "All of you..."

"Hey," Roux interrupted. "You ready for part three of Operation: Take Logan's mind off of all this crap?"

"Part three?"

She nodded her head and grinned. "Part three..."

* * *

Logan stared down at the roaring Tohjo Falls and looked at Roux like she was crazy. "Part three is sliding down a waterfall!"

"Yep," she answered. "Don't worry, there aren't any sharp rocks at the end. I had Lir check it out. We didn't get to go to the beach, so I figured we should at least do this."

"Fine..."

"Good. Now stay right here and I'll be back in a sec."

She walked towards the entrance and Logan changed into his swimming trunks. Golduck was beside him, completely calm and relaxed. As crazy as Roux's 'three part operation' was, it was actually working and Logan knew that he was having fun, more fun than he had in a long time. As he thought about flying through the sky on Charizard and sliding down the waterfall, he suddenly remembered that Roux mentioned that she had developed a fear of heights over the summer.

"She hasn't even shown it..." he muttered to himself. "Is she hiding it just to make me feel better?"

"_Hey, I'm back..."_

Roux made her way back over to him and Logan found himself unable to take his eyes off of her. Her hair was tied back and her hunter green eyes stood out in perfect contrast against the light inside the falls. She was in a dark purple bikini and even though she was nearly as skinny as she was a year ago, her legs were quite toned and she seemed to be developing a few curves. In fact, it seemed like she was the exact opposite of Emma in both physical appearance and personality.

"Hey," she called out as she noticed his gaze. "Eyes up, dude. The last thing I want is for people to start thinking that I'm trying to steal you from your girlfriend." She grinned. "Now, grab a hold to Golduck and I'll grab onto Lir."

Logan did as he was told and grabbed onto Golduck as Roux took a hold of her Politoed. "When do we jump?"

"Now!"

Their yells could be heard from the depths of the falls as they slid down the water on their Pokémon.

"This is _so _awesome!" Logan shouted.

_"Goooolduuuuck!"_

When they hit the bottom of the waterfall, Logan and Roux found themselves surrounded by water Pokémon as they moved underwater. They raced through the water until they reached enough land for both of them to stand on.

"And part three is done!" Roux yelled. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better," Logan answered. "I-I don't even know what to say. Thank you, Essa."

"Essa?" Roux said as a smile formed on her face. "Well, I guess we're on a level where you can call me that, but it's a special privilege, so don't abuse it. I will, however, murder you in your sleep if you say the whole name." They laughed as Golduck and Lir played around in the water. "I am glad that you had a good time, Logan. I did too."

Logan nodded his head as they wrapped their arms around each other. He didn't simply have a good time, he had a _great _time and he realized that he may not have had as much fun if it was someone other than Roux. Despite everything that was going on in his life, he knew that a moment where he could just kick back and have fun was worthwhile. Whether it was flying through the sky on a Charizard, breaking things in an old warehouse, or sliding down a waterfall, Logan could not think of a better way to spend his last day before he had to return to Louhearst and he definitely had Roux to thank for that.

"A-Alright," Roux said as she finally broke the hug. A blush formed across her face. "Can't have too much of that. We better get ready for tomorrow..."

* * *

**So, Xavier gave Logan his Charizard, we learned exactly what happens if someone's soul is destroyed, and Roux's three part operation helped Logan have fun for the first time in a year. Also, we met Jett's ex (now once again) girlfriend, Jessica and we learned that she'll be at Louhearst this year. Speaking of Louhearst, it is time for all the characters to reunite with their friends and foes, so stay tuned for next chapter.**

**Also, feel free to check out and submit characters for 'Spirit of Omicron' and 'The Dacions' (That last one is a very dark fic, just so you know) and feel free to come to the discussion and join the RP's of the stories on the forum.**

**Later! **


	6. Race to Louhearst

**Race to Louhearst**

Logan walked through the streets of Cherrygrove City and stopped at a local restaurant. "This this is the place, Mawile?"

"_Mawile_..."

She pointed to the sign and led Logan inside where he noticed Jett and Rietta sitting down at a nearby table, in the midst of yet another argument.

"I don't see why you're complaining," Jett started. "You should be lucky that I'm hot enough for us to get free pizza."

"I'm not complaining," Rietta shot back. "I just think you need to know that the universe won't always bend for your so-called 'hotness' and one day you're going to have to actually follow the rules like the rest of us..."

"I see you're feeling better, Rietta," Logan interjected as he took a seat between them. "You guys get my messages?"

"Yeah," Jett replied. "You sounded like you were having an awesome time with Roux and it's really cool that Xavier gave you his Charizard."

"I guess..." Logan said as he took a slice of pizza. "Roux is definitely the Queen of Awesomeness."

He glanced down at Mawile and took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to tell them what Xavier had told him about the fate of his soul if he were to be killed by Monsiadem. However, he didn't want to keep anything from them and he wanted them to know how serious the situation was.

"Jett!" Rietta yelled. "Get your hand off my leg, you perv!"

"What are you talking about?" he replied. "You're delusional..."

"Then what's...on my leg?"

Rietta shrieked as a large Seviper slithered from under the table. The trio jumped out of their chairs as snickers were heard. Shane, Rolen, and Tinett approached them with grins on their faces.

"Thanks for the pizza, losers," Shane stated as he and his cronies began eating. "Seviper, just because she has the face of a rat doesn't mean that she's a meal. Muk-Face, can you do me a favor and quit seducing my Pokémon? We all know you can't get a boyfriend, but that doesn't mean you have to resort to beasts."

"What do you want, Clarke?" Jett said.

"Nothing, Mitchell," Shane replied as he and his lackeys stood face-to-face with the trio. "We were coming from the bank to get something to eat. My father sent my fifteen-thousand dollar check for me to live off of for the month."

"Your dad sends you fifteen-thousand dollars a month?" Jett nearly yelled.

"Of course," Shane replied with a smug grin on his face. "It's not that much, but I know how to budget. Anyway, we overheard something very interesting. Did Xavier really give you his Charizard, Martin?"

"That's none of your business," Logan shot back. "Get lost!"

Shane grinned and shook his head. "Listen, the orientation for the first years is taking place as we speak. How about we have a little race to Louhearst, Martin? I'll get on Skarmory and you get on Charizard."

"Why would I do that? I'm not going to race you because I seriously don't see the point in it."

"Or you're just being a little girl," Shane retorted. "Charizard has a type advantage over Skarmory and it was raised by Xavier, so chances are, it's fast. What's your answer, Martin?"

"Go ahead and race him, dude!" Jett told him.

"Alright, Clarke," Logan said. "You're on..."

The six of them headed outside where Shane promptly tossed his keys to Rolen. "You and Tinett drive back to Louhearst," he told them. "I'll probably be there before you show up, though. When you get there, make sure you give our new roommates a _proper _greeting. Martin, I think Charizard is big enough for both of your loser friends to fit on."

"You guys wanna get on?" Logan asked Jett and Rietta.

"I gotta take Jessica's car back to her," Jett said.

"Yeah, and I really don't want to be involved in whatever is about to take place," Rietta added. "Besides, these pills that I took are about to kick in. We'll meet you back at Louhearst..."

* * *

"Here's the rules," Shane started as he and Logan mounted their Pokémon. "We race around this hick town and the first one to the courtyard of Louhearst wins. No attacks or anything. Simple as that."

"Alright, that seems fair," Logan replied.

"Yeah. Oh, Martin, one more thing."

"What?"

"This!" Shane yelled as he threw sand at Logan and took off on Skarmory. "Later, loser!"

Logan managed to wipe the sand from his eyes as Charizard immediately sped after Skarmory. "Why didn't I see that coming? Come on, Charizard, we gotta catch up."

"The whole school knows what happened!" Shane shouted as Charizard managed to get closer to Skarmory. "How Muk-Face was poisoned by my-I mean _our _aunt's Drapion and about what happened to poor little Iris Martin!"

"Speed up, Charizard!" Logan commanded.

Charizard roared as she soared pass Skarmory. However, they were only ahead for a bit. In a matter of seconds, Charizard and Skarmory were side by side. Logan noticed several citizens of Cherrygrove looking up at the race and some were even taking pictures or recording it with their cameras. The two Pokémon entered a small tunnel, causing them to become even closer. Shane attempted to knock Logan off of Charizard, but it was to no avail.

"So, did you have fun with Roux!" Shane taunted as he continued shoving at Logan. "She looks easy anyway. Maybe you and your hick girlfriend can have a ménage-à-trois with that wannabe rocker slut!"

"Go to hell, Clarke!"

"Oh, am I making you angry, Martin?"

He hit Logan in his face as Skarmory managed to take the lead. Charizard followed it out of the tunnel and Logan could see the sunlight once more. Looking down, he saw several people cheering and chasing after the two of them. Charizard overtook Skarmory and continued moving even faster.

"There it is, Charizard!" Logan shouted. "There's the building. We're gonna win!"

_"Metal Sound!"_

Skarmory let out a loud screech causing Charizard to lower her guard and Shane to take the lead. Logan groaned in frustration. Shane had agreed that they wouldn't use any attacks on one another, but as usual, he went back on his word.

"Come on, Charizard," Logan said calmly. "We can still catch up! We just have to go full power!"

Charizard let out a loud roar as the flame from her tail grew. She soared towards Skarmory and the two Pokémon collided with one another as they flew down towards the courtyard of the Cherrygrove Louhearst. Logan and Shane began shoving one another until they fell off their Pokémon and into the grass of the courtyard.

"What the hell was that?" Logan shouted as he and Shane stood up. "You didn't say anything about trying to knock me off my Pokémon!"

"So what?" Shane shouted back. "What are you going to do about it?"

The two boys continued arguing, unaware that they were forming a crowd. Several students as well as some citizens of Cherrygrove made a circle around them.

"Fine!" Logan yelled as he gave Shane a shove. "You want a fight, let's go!"

The two boys immediately began shoving, punching, and kicking one another as the crowd cheered.

_"Ludicolo! Ludicolo! Ludicooolo!"_

A salsa dancing Ludicolo stepped in between the boys and Logan looked up to see an old man staring down at them.

"Logan, Shane," Dean Horace started. "What a lovely day it is. You two should not be fighting. You should be dancing!"

"Yeah, right..." Shane muttered. "I'm out of here..."

"Before you go," Dean Horace told him. "Miss Stuckerland wanted me to let you know that she wants you to meet her in her office in about an hour.

Shane grinned and nodded his head as he recalled Skarmory. He walked off and the crowd dispersed leaving a man with big brown eyes and dirty blond hair standing in awe.

"You're Logan Martin!" the man said as he shook hands with him. "My name is Chad Lyons!"

"Chad is working for Mr. Everston, the man in charge for Louhearst's tournament against Seathroul Expedition. His job is to scout for the best trainers to represent each of the four levels."

"Tournament?" Logan asked curiously. "And there's other expedition academies beside Louhearst?

Chad nodded his head as he snapped a photo of Logan and Dean Horace. "Every years, a tournament is held by Mr. Everston between two rival schools and this year, he chose Louhearst and Seathroul. It's first years against first years, second years against second years, third years against third years, and fourth years against fourth years. I've already recommended a few fourth, third, and second years from Louhearst to participate in the tournament."

"Really?" Logan replied. "Who?"

"Let's see," Chad started as he pulled out his notes. "For the third year team, we have Nikki Murcott, Eliza Curosine, Aiden Lynche, and a few others for possible candidates."

"What about the fourth year team?"

"Well, we've got Jeremy Lynche, Audrey Cook, Eden Rose, and...Nina Richardson...Oh, and there's a few more. Mr. Everston will decide how many people he wants on a team. It'll likely be anywhere from five to ten."

"No way!" Logan shouted. "If Nina's in the tournament, I definitely want in! Who are the possible candidates for the second years?"

Chad flipped his notepad and read the list. "From what we've observed from this year and what we've learned from last year, our possible candidates for Louhearst's second year team right now are: Mari Summers, Grey Thomas, Floressa Roux, and we're thinking of adding Jett Mitchell, Ethan D'Log, and Zoey Kross to the roster. Oh, and of course, you and Shane Clarke are possible candidates."

"Wait a sec," Logan said. "You're saying if Clarke and I are on the same team, we're gonna actually have to work together?"

"That's correct, Logan," Dean Horace stated. "I think it will all do you some good. Now, go check out your new dormitory. I think you will be surprised..."

* * *

Logan waved at the familiar faces as he made his way down the hallway of the Heart House. He had already ran into Nikki Murcott and Eliza Curosine and they talked about the upcoming tournament. Nikki hadn't really changed much, but Eliza was noticeably quieter than she was the previous year.

_"Hey, Logan!"_

He looked forward to see a girl with cream colored skin, her dark brown eyes rimmed with eyeliner. The girl's black hair contained streaks of brown, pink, and blue in it and she walked with the utmost confidence. She was in a black and pink banded halter tankini and it was obvious that she had been swimming.

"Nina!" Logan yelled in excitement. He cleared his throat. "I mean, Nina, how are you?"

"Cool," she replied as she gave the younger boy a quick hug. "Dude, they have a freakin' pool here! Have you seen your room yet?"

"Uh, no..." he uttered as he forced himself to keep his eyes on Nina's face and off the rest of her.

"Well, you gotta see that first!" she said. "Meet me in the pool with your buds when you get done unpacking. There's a huge back to school party later on."

She made her way down the hall and disappeared from Logan's view. He reached his room moments later and when the door opened he saw Jett along with a muscular boy with black spiky hair and tan skin. The boy was wearing his signature black and gold hat.

"Ethan!" Logan called out. "What's up, man!"

"What's up, Logan?" Ethan said as he slapped fives with him. "This dorm is sick!"

"Definitely..." Jett said in awe.

Logan looked around the place and his eyes widened. Last year, the dorms were a single room with three beds and a bathroom. This year, the living spaces were completely different. The dormitory was apartment-like, divided between what seemed like a living room and a kitchen. In the living room, there was a large couch and a few chairs along with a television. The kitchen contained an island with several bar stools surrounding it, a refrigerator, a sink, and several cabinets.

"Even the trashcan looks awesome..." Jett remarked. "Come on, let's check out the rooms. We're here first, so we got claim on the master suite. The other three are in the other bedroom."

He lead Logan and Ethan down the hall of the main room, pass the second bedroom and bathroom, and into the master bedroom. The three boys stood in shock as they looked around. The room itself was twice the size of their old room with three large beds. The first one was by the door, the second was next to the large closet, and the third was next to the window. To the far right of the large room was a bathroom with marble tiles and a double sink along with a toilet and shower room. There was a small television on top of one of the dressers and a large rug in the middle of the floor.

"This is incredible!" Ethan yelled.

"I know," Jett said. "Clarke and the other snakes may be douchebags, but they're the richest douchebags on the planet. I can't believe their families donated all this money to Louhearst!"

"Well, Samuel Clarke does give his kid a fifteen-thousand dollar allowance every month," Logan stated as he threw his stuff on the bed by the window. "Man, this is awesome and they have a pool. Hey, there's gonna be a huge party tonight. You two wanna go?"

"We're in!" Jett and Ethan said in unison.

"Do you think we should ask our other three roommates if they want to go?" Ethan asked.

"Why not?" Logan replied. "We'll wait for them to get here. Until then, what do you guys want to do?"

"Cards!" Jett said as he went through his bag. "Here, they are. What games do you guys want to play?"

"Go Magikarp!" Ethan yelled.

Logan and Jett looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "Why not?" Logan said.

"Fine!" Jett told them. "But, we're playing for money..."

* * *

**So, Logan's back at Louhearst and he has a new room. Next chapter is the PARTY so yeah, party time next chapter. Also, yes, there is going to be a tournament with a rival school and if you want to submit OC's for the rival school, it's under RIVAL SCHOOL at my forum.**

**Also, if you've been to the forum and seen a thread called 'Mocha Watch' then, yes, the rumors are true. Lolli is expecting a baby. :D**

**Anyway, OC's are closed for Louhearst, but OPEN for the rival academy.**

**Later! **


	7. The War Begins

**AN: No excuses except that's its not easy with a baby on the way, but hopefully, you all will find this chapter enjoyable and I'll be able to update a bit more frequently for a while! :D**

* * *

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**The War Begins**

"So anyway," Logan continued. "Mike and another one of our new roommates got me a job at the new clothing store opening at Louhearst and you'd never guess the name of the store."

"Now I'm curious," Jett replied. "Tell us the name."

"_Cold Shoulder_…" Logan said as a grin formed on his face. "You know the awesome chain of clothing stores all the way from Unova. Well, they're finally opening up stores in this country and since Louhearst needs a place for students to upgrade their wardrobes throughout the year, they've set us small stores on every campus in Johto."

"Dude," Ethan said as he began gathering up the cards. "Doesn't Jett sing their theme song every time he's in the shower?"

Jett grinned and stood up. "Of course I sing their theme song in the shower. It's awesome, catchy and it's sung by _Wild Mankeys_. They're like the number one band in the world. _Don't give me the cold shoulder! _Man, that song is awesome. Anyway, Logan, we've been hearing some things about you and Roux. Plus, you had Z.K. living at your house the whole summer, so you know there's rumors about that."

"Let them think what they want," Logan replied simply. "If you hadn't ditched me in the first place, I wouldn't have been with Roux."

"Doesn't matter," Jett said. "Jessica dumped me as soon as we got to Louhearst. Probably didn't help that I almost crashed into the building. Anyway, stand up boys, I have some words of inspiration for us."

Logan and Ethan glanced at one another before standing. "It must be really important, Jett," Ethan stated.

"Very," he replied as he put his arms around both of them. "Now, we made it through last year as a group, so we should try to make this year the best year ever for us and our Pokémon. We need to let everyone know that JEL is here to stay."

"JEL?" Logan said as he arched an eyebrow. "We're letting everyone know that hair products are here to stay?"

"No, it's like J for Jett, E for Ethan, L for Logan. JEL."

"Oh, I get it now!" Ethan exclaimed.

There was a knock on the door and Logan immediately went to open it. He saw a boy with dark blue eyes, pale skin and an abundance of medium brown hair kept in a low ponytail. By his side was a Charmeleon. "Hey, Mike, how's it going," Logan greeted as he ushered the boy in.

"Oh yeah," Jett said as he pointed to Mike. "I remember you. We had Aquatics together last year. You play the…saxophone, right?"

"Electric keyboard," Mike corrected. "But it would be kinda cool if I could play the saxophone."

"You know my friend, Roux, plays the electric guitar," Ethan stated. "She taught me a few drum lessons and Jett sings pretty well in the shower."

"Hey," Jett remarked. "I sing amazingly in the shower."

"We should start a band," Mike joked as he pet Charmeleon on the head. "I'm guessing you three already claimed the master bedroom?"

"You know it," Jett replied.

Mike grinned and walked into the other room. "Logan!" he called out as he and Charmeleon began unpacking. "I'll take you to _Cold Shoulder_ to meet the boss and our other new roommate in a few."

"Cool," Logan said as he opened Mawile's Poké Ball. "Mawile, in a few minutes, you and I will embark on our first journey into the business world. Are you ready?"

"_Maaaawiiiile!"_

* * *

"Okay," Shane started as he entered his new room with Seviper. "Who are our roommates?"

Rolen groaned before speaking. "Well, first is some guy named Henry Cook. We didn't do anything to him because he said Audrey was his sister."

"Audrey Cook," Shane said as he nodded his head. "She's cool. Who else?"

"Uh…Cecil Vitalis. You know, the video game freak that has a crush on Muk-Face."

"Seriously?" Shane laughed. "What do you and Tinett do to him?

"Dude, we trashed his stuff, but this guy was so wrapped up on his video game that he didn't even notice us doing it. You know it's no fun if they're not responding."

"Alright," Shane said. "Who's the last guy?"

Rolen sighed. "Clarke, you might want to sit down for this one." Tinett nodded his head in agreement and the two led him over to the large couch. "Grey Thomas…"

"What?" Shane asked. "I didn't hear you. Speak clearly, Rolen."

"Grey…" Rolen started. "Thomas…"

"Oh no…" Shane sighed. "Not that freak… Come on, the guy thinks he can talk to Pokémon. He needs to be in a mental institution, not an academy."

"Tell me about it," Rolen replied. "But there's more important stuff I need to tell you about. It's about the tournament and Seathroul. Those Seathroul guys are already talking down about Louhearst."

"Really? Tell me more…"

* * *

Logan and Mike arrived at _Cold Shoulder_ and both boys were speechless. The clothing store was just a small room in the main building, but the design of it was nothing short of amazing. The walks were painted white and black, the white wall with a painting of Zekrom on it, and the black with a painting of Reshiriam. The wide selections of clothes were neatly on display for customers and there seemed to be an enticing aroma emanating throughout the store.

"_Logan and Mike, right_?"

The two turned around to see a young man with dark brown eyes and average-length light brown hair. His skin was slightly pale and he had a tall and gangly build.

"Yeah," Mike answered. "Are you, Russell Wesley?"

"Yep," the boy replied proudly. "But my friends back home in Azalea call me Rus. I guess we're rooming together? It'll be like the three amigos, but like instead of three, there'll be six of us. Dunsparce, say hi to our new roomies."

"_Duuu_…."

Mawile leaped off of Logan's head and stared at Dunsparce, who didn't move a muscle causing Mawile to become slightly irritated.

"He's a bit shy," Rus stated as Mawile hopped back on Logan's head. Come with me and I'll introduce you guys to the assistant manager. He's a fourth year."

Logan and Mike followed Rus to the counter where they noticed Roux talking to a young man. He was a tall, broad shouldered, slightly muscular guy with baby blue eyes and short, curly, black hair with a bit of stubble under his chin. His Growlithe was running around the counter playfully chasing after a ball.

"Logan," the boy greeted. "Long time no see."

"Jeremy?" Logan said. "Jeremy Lynche. You're the manager of _Cold Shoulder_?"

"Assistant," he corrected. "The manager will be here in a bit."

"Jeremy said that he got an e-mail from the manager," Roux stated. "He wants to promote the store a bit more, so Jeremy asked if I could sing the theme song tonight at the party. Problem is, I need some more instrumentals and some vocal backups."

"I play the keyboard," Mike said. "Maybe I can help?"

"Yeah," Logan added. "And Ethan told us that you taught him some stuff with the drums last year. Maybe he can help you too, not to mention the fact that Jett sings the song all the time in the shower. Maybe he can help you out too."

"There's some more stuff I need to finish unpacking," Mike said. "I'll go ask Jett and Ethan if they can help you out."

"I'll go too," Rus added. "I've been waiting to see the new room. Come on, Dunsparce."

"_Duuu_…"

The two headed out and Logan turned his attention to the clothes on the racks. He was never one to be picky about his choice of clothing, but for some reason, he couldn't help himself.

"You know," Jeremy said, interrupting his thoughts. "First outfit is free for employees. Why don't you go try a few things on?"

Logan hesitated for a moment before he suddenly began grabbing clothes off of the rack. He went through two outfits he thought were decent, but there was something about the third one that he liked. It was mostly black, the shirt having a large gray skull on it. The jeans were black with a few rips in them and a silver wallet chain attached and the belt was black and gray striped. Logan glanced down at his shoe. Like his belt, they were a combination of black and gray and were actually pretty comfortable. Logan threw on a gray vest and took a good look at himself in the dressing room mirror. With his long hair, he immediately knew that he would be on the receiving end of a few jokes about his new look, but he could care less. It was definitely an improvement from his last outfit and he began to think that it was time for a change from his regular wardrobe. Stepping out of the dressing room, he immediately caught Roux's eye.

"What do you think?" he asked as a grin formed on his face. Something about the outfit made him feel extremely confident, if not a bit arrogant. Even Mawile and Growlithe were a bit impressed. "Like my new look?"

"Nice," Jeremy stated. "You got the whole punk look going on, but I think it's missing something." He reached under the counter into the glass and retrieved a silver chain. "Talk about bling. Of course, you have to pay for this, but you get a discount."

"Hell yeah!" Logan said as he reached for his wallet. After receiving the chain from Jeremy, he handed it to Roux. "Care to do the honors?"

"Sure…" she replied as she placed the chain around his neck. "You know you look amazing. Some of the more timid people might say scary, but dark is edgy."

She grinned and Logan's mind suddenly filled with thoughts. "This isn't right…" he said under his breath. "There's something I have to do. I'll see you guys at the party. Mawile, let's go."

As Logan headed out the door and down the hall, he bumped into a young man with piercing green eyes and spiked dark brown hair. The boy appeared to be at least a year older than Logan and he had a sadistic looking Sableye on his left shoulder.

"Watch it, Emo Boy…" the young man warned. "You almost ruined my shoes…"

"_Saaa_…"

"Sorry…" Logan muttered.

"Don't let it happen again or you'll definitely be sorry…"

Logan was beginning to get agitated. He stood up and looked the older boy in the eye. The boy's Sableye made direct eye contact with Mawile and she fearfully buried herself in Logan's hair. "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a promise…"

"Dude, I don't even know you.

"Oliver Wheatley," the boy stated. "Now you know. Don't bother introducing yourself. I already know who you are."

"Really?" Logan remarked. "Will you give me a clue?"

"Logan Martin," Wheatley scoffed. "The 'hero' who beat the Cherry Boys. Yeah, right. I could've beat Luther Kross in half the time you did it."

"Then why didn't you? He was terrorizing the school for two months. Why didn't you do something?"

Wheatley grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Because he wasn't bothering me. I don't give a Rattata's ass about this school, so I'm not gonna play hero. See you around, loser…"

He shoved Logan into a nearby wall and walked off. Logan managed to get to his feet in time to see Professor Pine and an attractive girl with light brown eyes, light brown skin, and long, wavy black hair. She had a mousy face and a slim build.

"Logan?" the professor started as she stared at him. "Interesting choice in clothing…"

"Thanks," Logan replied. The mere mentioning of his new wardrobe made him forget the altercation he was just in. "They're awesome. So, who's the new girl?"

"Oh yes," Professor Pine said. "Logan, this is Veronica Ventura, but she goes by Ronnie. She's a transfer from Seathroul and I'm helping her get adjusted. Ronnie, this is Logan Martin, one of our more well-known students."

"Well-known as in the guy who 'blew up' Mt. Moon," he remarked. "Or the kid who wanted to play hero and took on the Cherry Boys. So are you in Heart or Soul?"

"Soul," Ronnie answered. "Since I was in the Spirit House at Seathroul, I was put in Soul here."

"Logan, do you mind escorting Ronnie to her room? I believe she's rooming with your friends, Henrietta and Floressa."

Logan nodded his head. "Sure, but I have to make a quick stop. That cool?"

"Sure," Ronnie replied. "I'll see you later, Professor Pine, but…um…one quick thing…"

"Yes?" the professor asked as she leaned her ear towards Ronnie.

Ronnie glanced at Logan before whispering. "_Thank you so much._ _I know I've told you a thousand times, but just to be sure. He's allergic to carrots, he spits up a lot, and he gets really cranky when he first wakes up from a nap…"_

"_I have everything under control," _the professor whispered back. "_Have fun for a day…"_

Logan arched an eyebrow at them. He wondered what they were whispering about, but he suddenly found himself not caring much. After Professor Pine parted from the two, Logan led Ronnie down the main hallway. "So," he began in his attempt to make conversation. "You came from Seathroul? Why did you transfer? I mean, I hear it's pretty rough there with the bullies and stuff."

"Yeah, I got into a situation at Seathroul and I definitely had it rough," Ronnie replied. "That's why I came here. To get a new start…You're Mawile is cute."

"_Maaaaawiiiile!_"

"She gets that a lot," Logan said as Ronnie gave Mawile a gentle pat on the head. The two of them stopped outside a door in the Heart hallway. Logan sighed and almost immediately tensed up as he began knocking.

"It's open!" Z.K.'s voice yelled from the other side.

Logan and Ronnie walked in to see Z.K. smoking beside a girl with straight dark brown, almost black, hair and sapphire blue eyes. "New look?" Z.K. remarked as she fixed her eyes on him. "Not bad…June might find you scary though. Damn, if she weren't at the library, this would be hilarious."

"Ronnie," Logan started. "Meet Z.K. and her friend, Becca. Ronnie's a transfer from Seathroul and Professor Pine asked me to show her around…So, is Emma here?"

"Other room," Becca said as she pointed towards the back of the dorm.

"Cool…" Logan said as he took a deep breath. "Ronnie, can you wait here with Mawile for a sec?"

She nodded her head as Logan sat Mawile down beside her and walked into the other room, closing the door behind him. "Emma…" he called. "You in here?"

"_Over here!"_

A girl with ocean blue eyes and straight honey blond hair appeared from the closet. She had cream colored skin and a noticeable bust. "Wow," Logan remarked. "It's good to see you…"

"I know!" Emma replied as she gave him a hug. "I missed you so much! Wow, you got a new look and everything!"

"I…Listen, we need to talk…Can we sit on the bed?"

"Sure…" Emma answered as she arched an eyebrow.

The two sat down on the bed and Logan took a deep breath. "Well-"

"Are you breaking up with me?" Emma finished.

"I wouldn't put it like that…" Logan responded. "Look, I really like you, like a lot, but-"

"You like Roux more?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but it's more to it than just Roux. There are a lot of issues going on in my life and after what happened last year, I think it's better if I don't get too serious with anyone, rather it be you or Roux or some other girl. Jett and Rietta are already at risk for just being friends with me, my Pokémon have targets on their heads, and they're so many secrets about my family and the Soul Destroyers that…"

"Logan, it's okay," Emma told him in a calm and soothing voice. "I completely understand. You're under a lot of pressure and I agree, it's probably for the best that you don't get too serious with anyone. So, I'll see you at the party tonight?"

Logan smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Definitely…"

* * *

Rietta glanced at two of her roommates, who were sitting on the couch with their Pokémon. Jewel and Mari hadn't really bothered her. There were a few glares and whispers, but nothing to get worked up over. "You have to try it," Mari told Jewel. "It's so good!"

"Bananas in peanut butter…?" Jewel replied as she held Clefairy closer to her. "No thank you. Keep stuffing your face."

"Your loss," Mari said as she continued eating. "Hey, did you see the surfboard Eddie bought me?"

"How could I miss it? It has a painting of him on the damn surfboard. Rolen has to put his face on everything doesn't he?"

"Well, he's extremely vain," Mari admitted. "But when he and I were alone at his beach house this summer, he was so romantic. You know, he's very charming once you get past all the make-up, cocky-ness, and...hot-ness."

Jewel rolled her eyes as Roux entered the dorm. She shot a quick glare at her before turning her attention back to Mari. "You know, Jewel," she continued. "I've gained like two pounds off of this stuff, but it's so good."

"Well you'll probably lose it in no time," Jewel replied. "Ugh, I still can't believe we're sharing a dorm with Roux and Muk-Face and two other girls we don't even know. I guess it could be worse. As long as they don't bother us, we won't have to worry."

The door opened and Shane, Rolen, and Tinett walked in. "Mari," Shane started as he yanked the earphones out of Rolen's ear. "We need to talk to you. It's about the tournament."

"Yeah?" Mari questioned. "What about it?"

"Well, we've been hearing that those Seathroul guys are planning on crashing the party tonight and rumor has it, they like to start trouble. I mean, like worse than us and they're poor on top of that so you know they're going to be barbaric thugs. Since you're in the tournament, be on your guard."

"Mari, take me to a mirror," Rolen added as he put his earphones back in. "You know I can't go too long without staring at my gorgeous reflection."

"Or," Mari started as she stood up and yanked the earphones out of his ears once more. "You can walk back there by yourself if you want to stare at your gorgeous reflection."

Rolen shrugged his shoulders and placed his earphones back in. Shane and Mari had interrupted him from listening to one of his favorite songs and he had to restart it. Mumbling the lyrics as he walked down the hallway, he shot a quick glare at Rietta before entering the bathroom and staring into the mirror.

"Damn," he said as he turned off his iPoké, took his hair out of the ponytail, and opened Roserade's Poké Ball. "Roserade, there's something off. I can't tell what it is…"

"Roooseee..."

Roserade immediately began inspecting his trainer's hair and face. He jumped onto the floor and began spinning around. In a split second, an expertly aimed Magical Leaf cut a single wild hair from Rolen's head.

"_Rooooosee!"_

"Perfect!" Rolen said as he recalled Roserade and put his hair back in its ponytail. Placing his earphones back in, Rolen began reciting the song as he exited the bathroom. He began walking down the hall, but stopped when he felt someone tapping his shoulder.

"Rolen!" Roux shouted.

He yanked the earphones out and turned around. "What?"

"Well, it's just that you sounded pretty good…"

"Of course," Rolen replied irritably. "I have a gorgeous voice to match my gorgeous hair, face, and clothing. What's it matter to you?"

Roux sighed. "Umm, I'm performing a song with a few other guys tonight at the party and you have good vocals. Maybe, you could-"

"Absolutely not," Shane interjected. "Rolen's not performing with your loser band tonight. We've got more important stuff to worry about."

"You know," Roux said to Rolen. "You don't need his permission. I asked you not him."

Rolen paused for a second. He knew Roux was right. He didn't need Shane's permission to do anything. He didn't really care about performing with Roux and her band, but the fact that Shane had already answered for him without his input made him slightly angry. Of course, it was nothing new. Shane had been ordering him and Tinett around since they were small children.

"I'll do it…" Rolen finally said as he suddenly turned to Shane. "Because_ I_ want to."

"Whatever," Shane replied. "If you want to do it so bad, I'm not going to object."

"Cool," Roux said. "We're gonna rock the party!"

Rietta walked passed them and Shane immediately felt the urge to insult her. To him, she just made too easy, but somehow he managed to control himself. She opened the door to see Logan with a girl she had never seen before.

"Hey Logan," Rietta greeted. "You finally get settled in?"

"Yeah," Logan replied. "Rietta, this is Ronnie Ventura. She's a transfer from Seathroul and she's rooming with you all. Ronnie, this is my friend, Rietta. Hey, is Roux here?"

"Yeah. She's talking to Clarke and Rolen. Ronnie, I can help you get settled. I guess you'll be in the room with me and Roux."

She led her to the other room as Logan made his way towards the back. "Martin," Shane started as he noticed him walking by. "Nice get up. Now you look and act like an emo."

"Whatever, Clarke."

"Wait a second. I need to talk to you about Seathroul. There's a rumor that they're probably going to try and cause trouble between the academies. Now, as much as I hate you and your idiotic friends, we still go to the same academy. Just…let me know if any of them mess with you guys or your Pokémon or anything like that."

Logan arched an eyebrow as Shane walked off. He wondered if he was planning something, but he knew that Shane had a habit of 'shifting' his hate from one person to another, so there was a possibility that he was actually genuine.

"Cool!" he heard Roux's voice call out. "Everyone's in! Alright, I'll meet you guys fifteen minutes before the party!"

She hung up the phone and noticed Logan standing there. "Um," she began. "That was Jett. He said that he, Ethan, and Mike were in for playing the song during the party. Listen, whatever I did that made you upset-"

"No," Logan interrupted. "It's nothing like that. Can we talk for a bit? I know you have to get ready for the party, so it'll just take a quick second."

"Sure," she said. "We can go in Jewel and Mari's room. They're not in there right now."

She led him in the room and they sat down on the third bed. Logan groaned to himself. He hated talking to people when it was a serious thing. He figured that he might as well get it over with. "Listen," he started. "I broke up with Emma because of all this crap that's happening right now. I mean, between the Soul Destroyers, school, and now Clarke's saying that Seathroul's going to be an issue during the tournament, I think it's best if I don't get too serious with anyone. I like you a lot, but you have the tournament and your music, so maybe we should just keep everything casual between us, at least until the tournament ends."

"Yeah," Roux sighed. "That's probably the best thing to do. So, where do we go from here?"

"I have an idea…" Logan answered as he grinned and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

He didn't know what came over him. He had only had the new clothing for a little while, but ever since, he felt himself becoming more confident, more sure of himself and his abilities. Leaning in, he grazed his lips against Roux's own. She backed up for a second, obviously shocked about what was taking place. However, her desires overtook her and she suddenly grabbed him by his forearm and pulled him towards her, locking their lips together once more. She felt his hands wrap around her waist as she locked her fingers around his neck. In the back of his mind, Logan felt that he should probably stop, but at the moment, he could care less about his conscience. It was obvious to him that Roux was thinking the same thing, but after a moment of hesitation, she suddenly parted her lips. Their tongues immediately met and began dancing together. After what felt like an eternity, they were interrupted by the door closing shut.

"_Aye_!" Jewel yelled. _"¡Eso era muy caliente!_ Poor people gone wild! Wait until everyone finds out about this!"

"Which will be in about three seconds!" Mari added as she began furiously texting on her phone. "Hey, Satinka! You're in here with us!"

A girl with dark skin and braided black hair entered. She had dark brown eyes and somewhat of a small build. "So, which bed is mine?" she asked Jewel and Mari.

"That one," Jewel answered as she pointed to the one Logan and Roux were sitting on. "Martin and Roux were swapping spit for like twenty minutes, so you might want to disinfect."

"Look at the time!" Logan said as he jumped up. "Gotta get ready for the party. Uh, see you later Jewel, Mari. Nice to meet you Satinka. Roux, I'll…um…"

"Yeah…" she replied. "I'll…uh…later?"

"Later…"

* * *

Jett and Ethan stared at Rolen from behind the outside stage. The party had been going on for at twenty minutes and everyone and their Pokémon seemed to be having a good time.

"You guys ready?" Roux said as she walked up to them with her guitar. I know we only had one practice session, but you guys are pretty good and we may be able to actually pull this off."

"I'm ready," Mike said.

"Me too…" Ethan added.

Roux sighed as she turned to Jett and Rolen. She knew that there would be some animosity between the two, but she hoped that they could set aside their dislike for one another, at least for tonight.

"Come on," she told them. "You guys are lead vocals and Jett you're lead singer, so you two have got to be in the same state of mind."

"Fine…" Rolen sighed as he stretched out his hand at Jett. "It's just for tonight anyway."

Jett nodded as he shook hands with Rolen. "Good," Roux stated. "The drums are set up for Ethan and the keyboard for Mike."

"_And singing the theme song to Cold Shoulder is a new band with Jett Mitchell, Eddie Rolen, Floressa Roux, Mike Cooper, and Ethan D'Log known as Superego_!"

"_Superego_?" Jett questioned as he heard the young man on stage. "Hey, Roux, did you come up with that when you were making out with Logan?"

"You're so hilarious, Jett," Roux shot back. "I just thought the name would fit us. Besides, this is just for one night. Now, let's rock!"

The five of them ran on stage and were immediately cheered by their friends and their Pokémon. Jett took a deep breath as he approached the microphone. He remembered singing with his mother when he was young and singing in the shower every night, but now he was in front of an audience. He peered through the crowd, hoping to see Logan, Rietta, or Magmar. He found them cheering him on just in time for the music to start playing. Taking one last deep breath, he grabbed the microphone:

_You pretend I'm not there  
Pretend you don't see me  
But I know what you're feelin'  
It's so easy to see_

_Give me a chance  
Give me a thought  
Don't ignore me  
Don't give the cold shoulder!_

_(Cold Shoulder)  
(Cold Shoulder)_

_Got ice in your veins  
But I know it's an act  
Your heart is in chains  
The facade is cracked  
Don't give me the cold shoulder!_

_(Cold Shoulder)  
(Cold Shoulder)_

The audience cheered on in utter amazement as the band continued playing and Logan and Rietta stared at one another in shock. Logan knew that Jett was a capable singer and that he had mentioned that his mother taught him, but the only times he had ever Jett singing was when he was in the shower. Magmar was shooting flames into the sky as he cheered on his trainer.

"And that was _Cold Shoulder_, performed by _Superego_!" the young announcer stated after the song ended. Shane and Tinett immediately went over to Rolen to congratulate their friend on his performance. Jett, Ethan, Roux and Mike walked over to Logan and Rietta. They were joined by Grey Thomas who had his Charmeleon by his side.

"That was amazing!" Grey told them.

"Definitely," Logan added. "You guys should definitely keep at it."

"We all would," Jett stated as Magmar ceased firing. "But I doubt Rolen would want to perform with us again. "

"You never know," Mike said. "He seemed like he had a good time…"

The party continued in full force. Logan had lost Mawile in the crowd three times before he finally got her to stay on his shoulder. He motioned Ronnie and a few other girls to come dance with the rest of them and noticed that several Seathroul students were arriving. However, they hadn't caused any trouble, so he ignored them, for the most part. A young man with hazel eyes and long dark hair entered the party with a few other guys. It was obvious that they were from Seathroul and almost immediately began causing trouble.

"Whew!" the young man started as Emma headed for the dance floor. "Check out the rack on that one! These Louhearst girls are hot! Hey, babe, come over here and have a little of Duncan."

"Buzz off," Emma shot back.

"Hey, Emma," Ronnie started as she approached her. "Thanks for the-"

"I can't believe this," Duncan interrupted. "Ronnie Ventura! So this is where you ran off to. Ronnie the Mommy transferred to Loser-hearst!"

By now, several students had noticed the situation. "Ronnie, what is he talking about?" Emma asked curiously.

"You haven't told them?" Duncan asked as a grin formed on his face. "Maybe I should call Zack and he'll come tell them what I'm talking about."

"Shut up, Duncan!" she yelled.

"Hey!" Duncan shouted to the crowd. "If you're a guy, listen up! Don't touch, Ronnie Ventura! She already has a kid by my pal, Zack, and unless you want to be Baby Daddy Number Two, you'd stay away from her!"

Before he could let out another word, Emma's hand collided with his face. The sound of the slap was heard throughout the crowd. Before Duncan could retaliate, Logan approached them and stood in front of Emma and Ronnie. "Do we have a problem here?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah," Duncan replied as he shoved Logan. "But, it's between me and this blonde bimbo."

"I think you should leave," Logan said as he fought the urge to punch Duncan. "Or I'll get rid of you myself."

"Yeah," Duncan said as his friends walked behind him. "You and what army?"

"_This army…"_

The last person Logan had expected to come to his aid was Shane Clarke. Shane, Rolen, and Tinett pushed Logan and the girls out the way and Shane stood face to face with Duncan. He reached for a Poké Ball, but stopped when he realized that he was outnumbered. Duncan and his friends turned to leave, but Duncan stopped when he reached his car.

"This isn't over yet, Loser-hearst," he threatened as he glared daggers at Emma. "See you at the tournament. Until then, sleep with one eye open…"

* * *

**AN: First off, that song in this chapter is MINE! So, like if you want to use it, just ask and give me credit. So, the war between Louhearst and Seathroul has begun, a new band was formed, and Logan has a new look. I'm going to try to get more new characters introduced in the next several chapters from both schools and I hope to update my other stories too, so fans of other stories, be patient! Come to the forums to discuss the story.**

**Later! **


	8. The War Begins II

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**The War Begins II**

Stepping out of his car at the Seathroul Academy, Duncan Mendoza was immediately met by a series of laughter from the students hanging out in the parking lot.

"Shut the hell up!" he shouted as he made his way towards the back of the school. He noticed two students in the middle of a battle with a group of thugs around them. The first one was a tall, handsome and athletic looking boy with light brown eyes, spiked, dark brown hair, and slightly tan skin. The second one was a tall and lanky boy with flaming red hair, pale skin and piercing brown eyes.

"Tyranitar, return!" the first boy said as he noticed Duncan's presence. "Hey, Duncan, we heard you got bitch slapped by some broad at Loser-hearst!"

"Really funny, Zack," Duncan shot back. "By the way, I saw your ex-girlfriend at the party. You think she brought the kid with her on the expedition?"

The thugs laughed as a frown formed on Zack's face. "That's not my kid!" he shouted as he shoved Duncan. "How many times do I have to tell you assholes that?"

"Please," the red-haired boy interjected. "Everyone knew that Ronnie Ventura was a prude before she met you and come on, we've all seen the kid. He looks just like you. That's why you won't get a DNA test. Someone's scared of paying child support!"

The surrounding thugs laughed even harder, the loudest one coming from a tall and heavyset boy with blond hair and brown eyes.

"Buzz off, Vic," Zack told the red-haired boy as he turned to the large laughing thug. "Shut the hell up, Percy! You guys just have to bring this up every day. Besides, that's not the issue right now."

"He's right," Duncan said. "The issue is Louhearst. If they think they can get away with this, they've got another thing coming. Melvin!"

A thin boy with thick glasses and neat black hair appeared out of the crowd of thugs. He was dressed in a white button down shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks with dress shoes and a tie. Needless to say, he looked completely out of place with the thugs.

"Greetings, Duncan!" he said in a nasally voice.

"Greetings?" Zack repeated as he arched an eyebrow. "Okay, remind me again why we hang out with this guy?"

"Because he knows how to get inside information," Duncan answered. "And he does our homework…and, um, he's my sister's boyfriend's first cousin, so I have to keep him in the group. Anyway, did you get the information I wanted."

Melvin nodded his head as he pulled out his black laptop. "With the help of Porygon-Z, I was able to type in descriptions of the students you mentioned and hacked into Louhearst's main computer. Apparently, the blonde girl's name is Emma Jacobs. She's from New Bark Town, so I decided to search for any male students from the same town and I found one, an Ethan D'Log. Check out his picture."

"Yeah, I remember him," Duncan replied. "He was the drummer for the band at the party. This is good. We can't go after a girl, but we can go after him. Zack, Trent, and Paul, you guys are with me tomorrow when we go look for him. He's our main target, but if we can't get him, we'll jump the first Louhearst guy we see. Zack, your little sister, Serena, goes to Louhearst, right?"

"Yeah," Zack answered. "Why?"

"Call her and let her know what's going on," Duncan explained. "Get her to lead that guy to us. Vic and Percy, you two stay here with the rest of the guys and keep McShan, Quinn, and Feckle from getting suspicious."

"What about me?" Melvin asked curiously. "Can I come? Come on, let me go with you guys!"

"Melvin, we can't show up to a fight with you. We'll look ridiculous."

"Come on!" Melvin pleaded. "It's not even an actual fight. You guys are just going to beat down some guy. For Arceus sake, I'm your sister's boyfriend's first cousin!"

"Fine, you can come!" Duncan shouted irritably. "Damn, you're like an annoying child. I guess you can videotape it and uh, I don't know, bring us smoothies so we'll have something to drink after we're done beating that Ethan guy down. Strawberry mango…"

"So it's war?" Zack questioned.

"It's war…"

* * *

The party at Louhearst had died down and most of the second year students were sitting around in the courtyard. It was odd to see Shane and the rest of his gang in the same general area as their other classmates without causing some sort of chaos. Logan wondered what was up with him, but he realized that he could never really guess what went through Shane Clarke's mind. Even the Pokémon were being strangely calm and relaxed.

"So…" Shane started as he turned to Ronnie. "You're Ventura, right?"

"¿_Habla inglés y español_?" Jewel asked her curiously.

"Yes," she answered to Shane before turning to Jewel. "_Sí, hablo inglés y español_."

"What was up with all that stuff that guy was talking about?" Shane asked. "Do you really have a kid?"

Ronnie sighed and nodded her head as she moved closer to her Mr. Mime. "That guy that crashed the party is Duncan Mendoza. He's the leader of a gang of bullies at Seathroul. His friend, Zack Winters, is my ex-boyfriend and my son's dad. He ditched me after I got pregnant, so I figured I could just get away from all the drama by transferring to Louhearst."

"Wait," Emma interjected. "Did you bring the baby with you on the expedition?"

"Well, my grandmother is kind of crazy, so I brought Joey with me," Ronnie explained. "Professor Pine helps me take care of him during busy hours and-"

She was cut off by the sound of Shane's phone ringing. He stared at the unknown number and arched an eyebrow. Most of his friends were sitting with him, so he had no idea who it could be.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"_Hey, Rich Boy, this is a message from Seathroul to all of Louhearst, so listen up. We've declared war on you losers."_

"Because one girl slapped you in the face? Damn, if we've known you'd be a little bitch about it, we wouldn't have thrown you out the party."

"_Make all the jokes you want now, but we know all of your names and everything else we need to know. So, Shane, you let Emma know that whatever happens to you losers and your Pokémon is her fault. Your blood's on her hands_…"

The phone hung up and Shane turned to the rest of the second years. It was obvious that they heard the conversation. "Apparently, Seathroul's declared war on us," he told them. "I'm not pointing any fingers, but a certain violent cowgirl-"

"Nice going Jacobs!" Jewel interrupted. "You're going to get us killed."

"Oh man, I can't get killed!" Rus stated as he clutched on to Dunsparce. "Cheerleading tryouts are coming up!"

"Cheerleading tryouts?" Shane said. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Emma began running her hands through her hair frantically. "Maybe I shouldn't have done what I did. Violence doesn't solve anything."

"Everyone relax," Logan said. "Emma was just defending Ronnie. No one's going to get killed over something stupid like this. The best thing for us to do is to ignore them and focus on the upcoming tournament. Come on guys, it's not like they're actually going to do something…"

* * *

Jett entered the Cherrygrove Café with Magmar by his side and took a seat at the table. It was early in the afternoon and he wondered why Emma wanted to meet him there.

"Sorry I'm late," Emma said as she rushed to the table with her Ninetales. "Anyway-"

"I know where this is going," Jett interrupted. "You have the hots for me after seeing my awesome rock star performance at the party last night, don't you?"

Emma grinned and shook her head. "This isn't about us. Besides, you're not my type."

"Yeah, right," Jett scoffed. "I'm hot. That's everyone's type, right, Magmar."

"_Maaaaa_!"

Emma rolled her eyes and thumped him on the head. "This is about my sister and your brother. They met at the last Heart Warriors meeting and Sarah said that she and Jerry really hit it off, so I was wondering if maybe when the expedition goes to Violet, the four of us could hang out for a while so Sarah and Jerry can get a little closer if you know what I mean."

"What's with you girls and always playing matchmaker?"

"Will you just do it? For me?"

Jett sighed and nodded his head. "I'll do it. So, are you worried about, you know…?"

"You mean the so-called 'war' that jerk from Seathroul is talking about? Please, there are more important things to worry about…"

* * *

Ethan sat down at a table in the courtyard, placing Togepi in his lap. "Man," he started as he took three burgers, two orders of fries, and a large shake out of the brown paper bag. "I'm starving. What about you, Togepi?"

"_Piii! Piii_!"

"_One of those burgers for me?" _

Grey Thomas took a seat next to him along with his Charmeleon and gave him a high five. "Man, how can you eat so much?"

"Jett says that real men eat a lot," Ethan said nonchalantly as he began eating. "And you can have _half_ of a burger."

Grey shook his head. "I was just joking. I'll pass on the burger."

"Suit yourself. Hey, is it true what they're saying about you? That you can 'talk' to Pokémon?"

"Well, it's not really-"

"_Hey!"_

The two boys turned to see a tall and thin girl green eyes and blond hair with black highlights. She had pale skin and her nose seemed to be a bit red. They could tell that she was likely a third year. "Um, my name is Serena and I really need your help. You see my brother's Ninjask is a bit mischievous and he likes to fly off. Can you help me find him?"

"Sure," Grey answered. "We'll both-"

"Um," Serena interrupted. "Ninjask gets scared if there's too many people. I think one of you should go." She turned to Ethan. "You look strong and athletic. Any chance you'd be willing to help a girl out?"

"Sure...

* * *

"_So if you see anyone from Seathroul don't back down or you'll make the whole school look bad…"_

Logan and Rietta walked into the main hallway to see Shane, Rolen, and Tinett talking to three first year boys and their Pokémon. The first one, a boy with straight light brown hair, brown eyes, and slightly tan skin. He and his Lickilicky seemed to be more interested in Shane's words than the other two.

The second boy was smaller than the other two. He had flat brown hair and large blue eyes. Logan couldn't help but notice the boy's outfit. He was dressed in a fancy white button-up dress shirt underneath a navy blue sweater vest, light grey slacks, and fancy black dress shoes, all from expensive name brands. Adding to the fact that the boy had an Anorith, it was painfully obvious that he came from a wealthy family.

The last boy seemed to be the leader of the trio and had the most distinguishing appearance. He had light, clear, brown eyes and a tall and skinny build. However, his hair was stark white and somewhat messy. He was the only one without a Pokémon out of their Poke Ball.

"What are you up to, dude?" Logan asked him.

"Oh, Martin, Muk-Face," Shane started. "Meet Mark Krasen, Asher McConnell, and Frosty. They're first years. I've been telling them about the war with Seathroul."

"My name is Jericho," the white-haired boy corrected.

"There is no war, Clarke," Logan told him. "How many people have you told?"

"Just a few…" Shane answered.

"A few?" Rietta questioned.

"Hundred…" Shane finished. "Come on, it's good publicity for the tournament. Besides, I'm not the only one whose doing this."

"Really?" Rietta replied. "Who else?"

"_See us kick Seathroul's ass at the tournament! If they want a war, they've got it! No one messes with Louhearst!"_

There was a loud cheering as they saw Z.K. walking down the hallway, surrounded by students from all four of the grade levels. "So yeah," she started. "We're at the party and this jerk from Seathroul shows up, so Emma had to kick his ass. I mean, he's lucky I didn't fight or there would have been some major damage."

"Wow," one of the students said. "That's intense."

"Well, that's how we roll…"

"Come on, Rietta," Logan said as he grabbed her arm. "Apparently, everyone's losing their minds around here…"

* * *

"_Niiiin!"_

The Ninjask swooped down off of the roof and grabbed Ethan's hat before flying off with it.

"My hat!" Ethan shouted.

"Let's hurry up and follow him!" Serena shouted. "You know how fast Ninjask are!"

They had been chasing Ninjask around campus for a few minutes before they soon found themselves further and further into Cherrygrove. They had cut a few corners before Ethan finally saw the Ninjask perched on a dumpster in a nearby alley with Ethan's hat on the ground to the entrance.

"Whew," Ethan said as he picked up his hat and placed it on his head. "That Ninjask gave us quite a chase, Serena. If I sneak up on him, I may be able to grab him."

Ethan made his way towards the dumpster, only to notice that the Ninjask seemed a bit too calm. The moment Ethan got close enough to grab him, Ninjask flew towards the entrance of the alley.

"_Hey, Ethan…"_

Ethan whirled around to see four boys blocking the entrance to the alley. He immediately recognized Duncan's face, but the boy next to him seemed to resemble someone he had seen.

"Your sister and Ninjask did a good job, Zack," Duncan stated as a sick smirk formed on his face.

"Here you go, sis," Zack said as he handed Serena a twenty-dollar bill.

Ethan was more confused than he had ever been. "Hey idiot," Serena yelled, interrupting his thoughts. "In case you haven't figured it out, this whole thing was a set up. Enjoy getting the crap kicked out of you!"

She laughed as she vanished from the scene leaving Ethan alone with the four Seathroul thugs. Staring at the entrance, Ethan noticed that they had parked Duncan's car to prevent him from exiting. Even with his team of six Pokémon, he knew that the thugs each had a full team of Pokémon.

"We have a message for you to send to your friend, Emma and the rest of those losers at Louhearst," Duncan told him. "Melvin!"

The scrawny nerd rushed to the scene with four smoothies and a video camera in his jacket pocket. "I'm ready when you are, Dunc!" he said in his nasally voice as he turned the camera on.

Duncan rolled his eyes as he and his gang slowly walked up to Ethan. "We can't hit girls, so that blonde bimbo gets a free pass. You're not going to be so lucky, Ethan, but hey, you'd better be glad we didn't bring Vic..."

Ethan immediately ran towards the entrance to the alley, but was quickly restrained by Zack. "Where do you think you're going!" he yelled as he shoved Ethan into Duncan's car. He bounced forward and Zack threw a punch at his stomach, causing Ethan to fall to the ground.

"Stomp his ass!" Duncan shouted.

The four boys began viciously kicking and stomping on him, Zack being particularly brutal as he knew the camera was rolling and he enjoyed putting on flashy shows for people. They continued their savage assault for a few more minutes before they had finally had enough.

"Send that message to Emma," Duncan said as he gave him one last kick. "That's what happens when you mess with Seathroul. This is just the beginning. See you at the tournament…"

* * *

The students from Louhearst filed into the waiting room of the Cherrygrove Hospital. Logan looked around at his fellow second years. Emma and Lyra were bawling their eyes out, Emma being the worse of the two, Jett and Z.K. looking as if they were ready to murder someone, and the rest of the students generally worried over their friend. Even the Soul Snakes showed up, though their reasons were unknown. Logan remembered how his mother told him that Ethan had visited him at the hospital in Cerulean every day after he was put into a coma at Mt. Moon and now it was his turn to repay the favor. He waited patiently before he was finally allowed to go into Ethan's room.

"Hey man," Logan said as he closed the door behind him. "What did the doctors say?"

"Two broken ribs, a broken nose, and I have to keep my arm in a sling for a while," he explained. "Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it, Logan."

"Don't thank me," Logan told him. "When I was in the hospital last year, you came every day. Listen to me, they're going to pay for what they did."

"I've been hearing that all day," Ethan replied. "Listen, the best the way to make them pay is doing it the right way. Don't go for revenge or more are just going to get hurt. If we want to serve them justice, we need to do it the right way and beat them in the tournament…"

Logan stared at him wide-eyed. That was the smartest thing he had ever heard Ethan say. However, he couldn't deny that he was furious over what had happened. He heard a knock on the door and went over to open it. Ronnie was standing in the hallway with a small toddler in her arms.

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Yeah," Logan replied as he stepped out of the way. "Ethan, Ronnie is here."

"Hi, Ethan," she started. "Um, I'm sorry about what happened to you. Those guys are just unbelievably crazy."

"I'll live," he said. "Is this your son?"

Ronnie nodded her head. "Ethan, Logan, meet Joey. Say hi, Joey."

Ethan managed to smile which caused Logan to feel a bit better as he stepped out of the room. Shane Clarke stood against the wall and grinned when he saw Logan. Walking towards him, he stretched his arm out.

"Is it war?"

Logan hesitated for a moment. He knew that Ethan didn't want any more violence, but his emotions were taking over once again. Logan nodded his head as he shook hands with Shane. "It's war. Let those Seathroul bastards know that we're coming for them…"

* * *

**A/N: Not much to say other than things are heating up as we get introduced to more and more Seathroul characters. I'll also have a chapter about the other students at Seathroul, to show that not all their students are thugs and bullies. So, there's a poll on my profile asking what team you're on. Feel free to vote and come to the forums to discuss the chapter.**

**Later! **


	9. Friday Night Plans

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**Friday Night Plans**

There had been a few more altercations between the students of Louhearst and the students of Seathroul during the rest of the month, but nothing serious had happened. The expedition had reached Violet City and the tournament wasn't set to start until Goldenrod City which meant that there were still two months left. With the help of Emma, Professor Caper had organized a discussion in his classroom between a few students from Seathroul and several Louhearst students to try to come to some sort of compromise between the two schools.

"Hey Ethan," Emma started as she helped him with his belongings. His injuries had healed quite a bit, but it would still be a while before he was at one hundred percent. "Are you coming to the peace summit with Seathroul at lunch?"

"Peace summit?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," Emma replied. "I figured since I've caused enough problems between us and Seathroul, I might as well attempt to fix them, so some students from here are meeting with a few Seathroul students in Professor Caper's classroom to try to see what we can do to come to a solution."

"I really would go," he said. "But Ronnie invited me to have lunch with her and you know I can't turn down a lunch."

"Trust me, I know," Emma said. "I just realized that you've been spending quite a lot of time with Ronnie. I think she likes you."

"Nah, she's just being nice…I think. Did she tell you anything?"

"Just how sweet you were. Maybe you should give her a chance. She's got it pretty rough. Anyway, I got to get to class. Catch you later."

Walking down the hallway, Emma bumped into Logan and the two exchanged glances and stood in silence before Emma decided to speak. "Um," she began awkwardly. "So, you're going to the peace summit at lunch?"

He nodded his head. "As much as I want to get those guys back, the whole school's not responsible for what happened with Ethan, so I think it'd be good to meet some regular students. I know they have a bad rep, but Ronnie came from there, so they can't all be bad. Listen, I know things have been kind of rocky since we broke up, but we can change that, right?"

"Totally," Emma replied. "I've been thinking that and…"

As Emma went on and on, Logan found his eyes wandering. During their first year, he thought she was a pretty cute girl. Her sweet demeanor was a bit too sweet at times and he found it slightly irritating at times. However, she had matured a great deal over the summer, both mentally and physically and Logan couldn't help, but notice.

"Hey, Jacobs," Shane started as he walked up to them. "Martin's not listening to you because he's too focused on your sweet farm girl rack."

Emma immediately turned red and used her binder to cover her chest. Shane grinned and thumped Logan on his head. "What do you want, man?" Logan asked irritably.

"Depends," Shane replied. "Have I made your day bad already?"

"Yes," Logan answered. "Your mere presence has pretty much upset my day."

"Mission accomplished," Shane retorted. "But screw all that for now, have you two heard of this 'Arceus Club' stuff going around?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "That first year girl, Christina Tenner, started it and I think it's a good idea. With all this stuff going on, it's nice that there are some people and their Pokémon trying to spread the message of peace and love."

"Lame!" Shane shouted. "That club might as well be renamed the 'V-Club' if you catch my drift. I mean, it's not like anyone in that group is ever going to get any." He stopped and reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I almost forgot. Martin, here's some money."

He handed Logan several rolls of twenties and Logan stared at Shane in confusion. "Not that I would usually object to free money, but what's the deal?"

"We're allies," Shane responded. "We're united against Seathroul and allies give each other money, right?"

"Sure…"

He walked off and Logan prepared to head down to the mess hall to get food before class since he now had enough money to actually eat a good breakfast and he knew he needed it since he had to go straight to work after classes. He had been saving the money from working at _Cold Shoulder_ to buy a car, but it was mostly to look good. If he actually needed to go somewhere, he could just take a ride on Charizard, but she could only fit so many people.

"So, I guess, I'll see you later?" Logan said to Emma.

"Uh, yeah, later…"

* * *

"So, this is my problem, Mawile," Logan started as he pointed to the small piece of blueberry muffin on his plate. "The muffin is sweet, but sometimes it's too sweet and you don't want that. You want to live a little and the muffin knows how to say the right things. Not to mention, it has beautiful blue eyes and a sweet rack."

"_Maaaawiile_?"

Logan pointed to the pepperoni pizza as Mawile stared at her trainer, utterly confused. "Now, the pizza knows how to have a good time and you never have a boring day with it. It's hot and it has so many layers that you can't wait to get under. Plus, it has sexy green eyes, great legs, and an amazing singing voice."

"_Maaawiile_?"

Logan sighed and pointed to his cup. "And then, there's the soda, but the soda is acting like a soft drink. Well, he is a soft drink, but he's acting too damn soft. He would like to choose between the blueberry muffin and the pizza, but his soul is in danger of being destroyed by a group of terrorists." He paused and gestured to the salt and the pepper. "So even if he made up his mind, there's always a chance, the salt could kill either the muffin or the pizza and then come with the pepper, who is the soda's psychotic aunt, and kill him. Then they destroy his soul, thus preventing him from ever going to the afterlife, and take over the world!"

"_Maawiile?"_

"I know that I'm being crazy, Mawile," Logan sighed as he buried his hands in his face. "Dumbass metaphors…"

Jeremy Lynche stared at his younger co-worker from a few tables over. He was sitting with a couple of the other fourth year students and they had noticed Jeremy watching Logan.

"Maybe you should help him out?" he heard Nina say.

"What, you mean like hang with him?" Jeremy asked curiously. "I mean, he's only a second year, but we do work together."

"Not to mention that his best friend's brother helped you out when you were a first year," Kaylee added.

"Good old, Jerry Mitchell," Jeremy said. "Good times."

"Exactly," Nina replied. "Listen, he went through a lot last year, but he at least had Malcolm Meladeo to make things easier. Now that he graduated, the school does need a 'New Malcolm', so what about it, Jeremy?"

"Well, _Psycho Spindas_ are playing tonight in Violet and I have some extra tickets," Jeremy responded. "Maybe I can ask him to come with us?"

Jeremy stood up and walked over to the table where Logan was sitting. He noticed that his food was covered in salt, but didn't want to ask why. "Hey, Logan," Jeremy started. "Listen, Nina, Kaylee and I are going to a concert tonight and I have two extra tickets. Do you listen to the _Psycho Spindas_?"

"Definitely!" Logan replied immediately.

"Good," Jeremy said. "Mike is working the night shift, so after work, you, me, and Rus are going to meet up with the girls and head to the concert. Since its Friday, there's no curfew, so if we're lucky, we might get backstage passes…"

* * *

Logan entered Caper's classroom at lunch along with Jett, Rietta, Z.K., Rus, and Grey. He saw the three first year boys that Shane had introduced to him back in Cherrygrove and the third years, Nikki, Eliza, Aiden Lynche, and Blake Smith. He also saw Jeremy Lynche surrounded by four of the fourth year girls. There were a few other students there with their Pokémon, though Logan didn't recognize them. He figured that they must have been Seathroul students, but they didn't look like they were as bad as they had been made out to be.

"I'm all for peace if it means we get to meet some hot Seathroul girls," Jett said as they began taking their seats.

More students filled into Caper's classroom and after a few more minutes, the students were ready to begin the meeting. An attractive Seathroul girl with ocean blue eyes and auburn hair took to the floor and Jeremy immediately focused his attention.

"Looks like someone's in love," Audrey, the Louhearst fourth year blonde, taunted as she thumped Jeremy on the back of his head. She turned to her red-haired friend. "What do you think, Eden? I mean everyone's calling Jeremy the '_New Malcolm Meladeo'_ after all."

"Hey, if inter-school romance is what it takes to stop all this nonsense, I completely agree."

"Peace is love," Jeremy whispered back to the two girls. "And that girl is stunning."

With the crowd of students and their Pokémon finally focused, the girl began speaking. "My name is Melanie Garcia. I'm a fourth year at Seathroul." She paused and gestured to a tall young man with brown eyes and a pale, freckled face. He had a noticeable amount of muscle and waist length red hair in a ponytail. "And this is Emil Feckle. He's also a fourth year at Seathroul."

"Hot..." Audrey and Eden whispered in unison.

"Look at that hair…" Eden said as she gazed at Emil.

"I know!" Audrey replied. "And look at the rest of him. He's like a Ginger Tarzan. I'd be his Jane any day…"

Jeremy grinned as the two girls managed to focus their attention back to the meeting. "Anyway," Melanie continued as she grabbed a marker. "We have two representatives for each grade and they'll all get a chance to speak. Now, our main topic is how we should increase the peace between our schools. First, I think we should list what the problems are. Does anyone want to start?"

"Yeah," the first year Mark said as he raised his hand. "I think I know what one of the problems is."

"Okay, tell us what you think and I'll write it down," Melanie told him.

"Well," Mark started. "I think this one is obvious. Your school is full of psychos!"

Several Louhearst students nodded their heads in approval as Melanie began writing on the board. "My school is full of psychos..." she repeated as she finished writing. There were some laughs from a few of the students. "Now, I am aware that we may have some bad apples at our school, but that doesn't mean we don't have regular students just like you guys."

"Maybe a tour?" Jeremy suggested. "We can have some students from each grade tour Seathroul and some of the Seathroul students can tour Louhearst."

"Not a bad idea," Melanie replied. "What do you think, Emil?"

"Why not?" the red-haired boy answered calmly. "We can have a few student representatives from each grade to guide the visitors. Maybe it should take place during our first week in Azalea?"

"Sounds like a plan…"

After they talked to the Louhearst students for a few more minutes, Melanie and Emil took a seat and were replaced by two third year girls.

The first girl had ocean blue eyes framed by fluttering eyelashes and had ash blonde hair is tied into a French braid. She was a short girl with fair skin and noticeable curves. There was no doubt that she was extremely gorgeous.

The second girl was equally as attractive. She had clear blue eyes and had creamy skin with a slender, but noticeable build. However, her most noticeable trait was her long, silky chocolate brown hair. It fell down to the middle of her back and she had one thick cherry red streak running through it. The top layer of her hair was braided and rested on the straightened second layer with the braid connected to the lower layer by way of two Beautifly clips at her temples that also keep her bangs out of her round, sunny face.

"Hi," the blonde started. "My name is Renee Girard. I'm one of the smartest and strongest trainer's at Seathroul." She pointed to the brunette. "This is Sonia Barret. We're both third years."

"Any questions?" Sonia asked. Jett's hand quickly shot up. "Yes."

"I actually have two," he stated.

"Sure," Sonia replied. "Go ahead and ask them both."

"First," Jett began. "I thought Seathroul had students, not angels. Second, will you marry me?"

Sonia giggled and there were several laughs from the students. "That depends," she started. "How well can you party?"

"That's it," Jett said. "I think I just met my perfect match. Not only is she insanely beautiful, but her personality rocks. Logan, I think I'm about to have a heatstroke from all this hotness."

Logan caught Rietta's glare at Jett, but could honestly care less and went back to listening to the girls that were speaking. Any problems that she and Jett had could be worked out between them. He was tired of babysitting two teenagers. However, as Renee and Sonia continued with their speech, Logan noticed that Jett seemed to really be into Sonia, which surprised him considering there were plenty of other attractive girls in the room. By the time the next two speakers took the floor, Jett still had his eyes glued on Sonia.

The next two speakers were both boys. They were second years and Logan recognized the first one. He had lively, dark brown eyes with spiked black hair and fair skin. He was tall with a somewhat athletic build and he seemed to have a very energetic demeanor.

The second boy had striking light brown eyes and short blonde hair that lied flat on his head. He was slightly pale and had a wiry build. He kept a toothpick in his mouth and had one of his eyes closed. Unlike the first boy, he seemed to have a cool and relaxed stance.

"How's it going?" the first boy started. "I'm-"

"Justin McShan," Logan finished. "You were in a tournament in Viridian this summer."

"Holy crap!" Justin shouted as he grabbed the second boy. "Derek, that's Logan Martin! Dude, you're the guy who tried to save Mt. Moon!"

"Yeah, it is," the second boy replied. "I recognize him."

Logan was nearly taken aback. That was the first time he had ever heard someone mentioning the Mt. Moon incident without pinning the blame on him. Justin had nearly forgotten about his speech until Melanie had to remind him what he was supposed to be doing.

"Alright, I'm back on track," Justin said. "Now, I think-"

"_Justin!"_

A pale girl with steel grey eyes and long dark hair entered the room and immediately received stares from the crowd of students. With her black eyeliner, black stud earrings, and all black clothing, she almost looked like a female Logan.

"So this is where you've been!" the girl shouted. "I've texted you five times!"

"Everyone," Justin said. "This is my girlfriend, Sindy. Sindy, say hi."

She looked at the crowd of people and rolled her eyes at them. "So…" she started as she glared at Sonia, Renee, and Melanie. "You're here…with them?"

"It's not what you think. Me and Derek came here with them to talk to the Louhearst kids about violence and…you know what, let's step in the hall."

The two walked out and Derek grinned before finishing his speech before allowing the two first years to go. After they finished, Melanie took to the floor again. "It's settled. The tours will take place during the first week that the expedition is in Azalea. Since it's a small town, we don't have to worry about much trouble with transportation and we'll have guides to make sure that we don't have any problems. If there are no more questions, meeting adjourned. It was nice meeting you all…"

The students began filing out of the classroom with their Pokémon and Jett immediately grabbed Logan. "Dude," he started. "You already know…"

"That Sonia girl?" Logan questioned. "Go for it, but she is a year ahead of you."

"What does that matter?" Jett replied. "Nina is _two_ years ahead of you and you still made out with her. Plus, I'm hot and I think I can handle an older woman. What girl doesn't want to take a ride on '_The Jett'_? Besides, it's not just Sonia's looks. It's her personality and normally I could really care less when it comes to stuff like that, but she's like me if-"

"If you were a girl…" Logan finished. "Wow, now that I think of it, she could be your clone. Well, if you're going to go for it, you'd better hurry up before she heads back to Seathroul."

"Damn! I forgot about that! See you in Tallow's class."

Jett raced out of the room and down the hallway, quickly moving between the flock of students and their Pokémon until he spotted Sonia in a conversation with Melanie and Emil. All of a sudden, he felt his breathing getting heavier and to his shock he actually found himself nervous. Each step he took towards Sonia made him even more nervous and antsy.

"_What the hell is wrong with me_?" he thought to himself. "_Am I actually nervous about asking a girl out? I mean, it's not like she's going to say no, but what if she does? I am younger. Maybe she doesn't like younger guys? Maybe I should just give it up. Wait a minute, what am I thinking? I'm Jett Mitchell. Mom always said don't give up without a try, but-"_

"Hey, Romeo," Sonia said, interrupting Jett from his thoughts. "Where's my engagement ring?"

Jett realized that he was walking towards her the entire time he was in his own world. Taking a deep breath, he grinned and extended his hand. "I'm Jett Mitchell," he told her. "I kinda forgot to tell you my name at the meeting. I'm sure you've heard of me."

"Oh yeah," Sonia replied. "I've heard of you. Most of the girls at Seathroul have heard of you."

Jett took another deep breath. "Well, I've hope they've all been good…"

"Some good," Sonia said. "And some bad, but I tend not to listen to people's opinion about a person until I meet them. My friend showed me your band's performance on Pokétube. You were awesome."

"Well, I can't take all the credit. My friend, Roux, was the real talent. The other guys were really good too. So, listen, since it's Friday, I wanted to know if you would like to go with me to the Sprout Tower tonight? My friend invited me to go with him and his date…and his date's kid, so you know, don't want to be an extra wheel."

"Sure," Sonia replied. "I can always use some excitement. You better not bore me on our date."

"Trust me. No girl is ever bored with Jett Mitchell…"

* * *

Rietta sat at the small table in the mess hall along with her Mismagius, Faye. She hadn't eaten all day and there wasn't that many people in the hall which was easier on her when it came to eating without much noise. However, her peace didn't last for long when she noticed Shane, Rolen, and Tinett approach her.

"_Hola_, Senorita Pasty Skin," Shane taunted as he and his cronies took a seat at the table. "Wow, I now realize that without Martin and Mitchell, you have zero friends. I always knew you were the one holding them back. Pretty soon they'll find another nerd to do their homework and they'll cut all communication with you."

"Get lost…" Rietta responded. "Besides, I thought you were 'allied' with us."

"Oh yeah," Shane said as he reached in his wallet and threw a roll of twenty dollar bills at Rietta. "I'll still insult you, but I'll give you money and protect you if those Seathroul jerks come around."

"Well," Rietta started as she began counting the money. "Damn, that's a lot! Well, if you're willing to give me this much money, keep the insults coming."

"Your hair is disgusting," Shane began. "Your skin is as white as a ghost, you dress like a ten year old, and you're the biggest loser on the planet. Oh and when I look at your chest, I either think that you still wear a training bra or I start seriously doubting that you're actually a female. Whew, had to get those insults out."

Rietta glared at him. "Okay, you've made your point, now go!"

Shane smirked as he, Rolen, and Tinett stood up from the table as Faye glared at the three boys, but the ghost Pokémon didn't dare make a move. There was a strict rule against Pokémon attacking other trainers and she didn't want Rietta to get in trouble. Before Rietta could return to her food, she was approached by two first year girls. The brunette was her old friend, Ilys Benjamin, but she had never seen the blonde girl.

"Rietta," Ilys started. "This is Christina Tenner and she really wants to talk to you."

Christina sat her Vulpix in her lap as she took a seat next to Rietta. "Hi!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Um, hi…" Rietta greeted back as she stared at the girl in confusion.

"Ilys has told me all about you!" Christina said. Rietta quickly noted her bubbly demeanor and let out a sigh. "A few of your second year classmates are joining the Friendship Club and so are a bunch of other people including Ilys. I was wondering if you wanted to join!"

"Wait," Rietta said as she arched an eyebrow "Friendship Club?"

Christina nodded her head. "We're all about having fun and spreading peace and friendship to others with our Pokémon! It's a really good thing to do and you'll meet lots of interesting people and Pokémon. No one is judged by their popularity, wealth, grades, or anything like that. We're just all there to be friends!"

"Come on, Rietta!" Ilys told her. "We even managed to get Z.K. and Becca to join! Of course, after that, we had a _major_ increase in boys, but it's really going to be fun. Please!"

"Fine," Rietta said. "I'll join. When's the first meeting?"

"Tonight," Christina answered. "See you there!"

* * *

Logan, Rus, and Jeremy stood in the middle of _Cold Shoulder_. Jeremy had just finished his shift and Mike had arrived to take over. Mawile, Dunsparce, and Growlithe were playing on the floor as their trainers continued their conversation.

"Man!" Logan yelled in excitement. "This concert is going to be awesome! Rus, I didn't even know you were into the _Psycho Spindas_!"

"Are you serious?" Rus said. "Next to _Dungeons and Dragonites, _gymnastics, and algebra, they're my only reason for existing!"

"Alright, gentlemen," Jeremy said as he checked his cell phone. "The concert's across town and we're an hour away, so let's roll!"

The three of them picked up their respective Pokémon and made their way to the parking lot where they saw Nina and Kaylee standing beside a large an expensive white truck.

"Dude," Logan said in disbelief. "Is this you're ride?"

Jeremy grinned and nodded his head. "Yep, it's all mine. Aiden wants it, but I'm not giving it to him until I'm dead. Rus, you ride up front with me. Logan, you can sit in the back between the ladies."

Nina shot Logan a flirtatious grin before the five of them began loading up. Jeremy and Kaylee had a brief conversation about not speeding and Jeremy promised to go the speed limit, though he knew he'd have a difficult time resisting the urge to slam on the gas pedal.

"Alright, everyone," Jeremy began as he started up the truck. "Get ready for the best night of your lives!"

* * *

**AN: We FINALLY meet 'good' Seathroul students in this chapter and after the next chapter, we'll meet even more Seathroul kids. Speaking of the next chapter, it's gonna be pretty CRAZY, so stay tuned!**

**Later! :D**


	10. When Logan Met Sadie

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**When Logan Met Sadie**

It was nearly nightfall by the time the group arrived at the concert. However, it would be another thirty minutes before the band showed up. People where arriving in droves and Jeremy suggested that they hurry up and get to their row. "Well guys," he told them. "If they shine the stage light on the tenth row, we all get backstage passes, so let's pray!"

"Man, Roux is going to flip when she finds out that I went to see the _Psycho Spindas!_" Logan added. "I wonder if I can get her an autograph or something after the concert…"

"Come on guys," Nina told them. "Let's hurry up and go."

"Yeah, those seats are filling up fast," Kaylee said. "But before we go in, we need to go over some rules."

Logan and Rus stared at her in confusion as Nina and Jeremy began groaning. "Can you not be a stick in the mud for one night?" Nina asked her. Kaylee frowned before continuing.

"Hey, this is for safety reasons!" she shot back. "Now, first we need to stay together so when it's time to leave, we don't have to look for anyone and if someone does get lost, we'll call them on our phones. Also, we need to keep our Pokémon in our Poké Balls and our Poké Balls latched tightly on our belts. You'd be surprised how many people steal Pokémon at events like this."

"Alright then," Jeremy started. "Everyone remember what Kaylee said. Now, let's rock!"

They headed towards the entrance and Logan stopped momentarily due to wind blowing his hair into his face. He pushed it out of his eyes and from the distance caught the eye of a girl with shiny, waist-length pitch black hair and dull emerald green eyes with fair skin. He thought she was attractive, but not the type of 'cute' or 'hot' like he thought Emma and Roux were. It was more of a seductive and dangerous type of attractive. The girl gazed at him in indifference before disappearing into the crowd.

"Come on, man!" Rus said, interrupting his thoughts as he quickly grabbed Logan's arm. "This concert's gonna be awesome and we can't miss a second of it…"

* * *

Jett and Ethan stood outside the gate to the Louhearst building with Magmar and Togepi. The two boys barely mumbled a few words to each other since they both had their minds on different things. "So…" Jett said in an attempt to begin a conversation. "What did you get on that last Aquatics paper?"

"I barely passed with a D," Ethan replied. "What about you?"

"Man, my paper just had _poo_ written on it in big red letters," Jett answered. "Not an F, but poo. I guess that must be lower than an F. Starlin could've at least given me a G or an H. Anyway, screw all that, what's the deal with you and Ronnie? Is it official?"

Ethan stared at him in confusion. "Official? What are you talking about?"

"I mean she helped you recover when you got jumped by those Seathroul guys, you're really good with her kid, and you and your Pokémon have been spending every day with her. I can't even remember the last time I saw you hanging with Emma or Lyra."

Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "Z.K. told me that sometimes you need to branch out and she's right, but as far as me and Ronnie goes, I don't think she's even interested. I mean, she hasn't really given me any signs or anything."

"Maybe she's nervous?" Jett replied. "I mean, she probably doesn't think anyone wants a girl with a kid especially if the kid's dad is part of that psycho Seathroul gang. I think you should make the first move. Yeah, she has a kid, but she's hot so that technically make her a MIL-"

"Dude!" Ethan cut him off as he tried to contain his laughter. "Don't even go there!"

"Yeah," Jett said jokingly as he put his fists up. "You must've forgot. I'm Jett Mitchell and I go there, but I was just trying to spell 'milk' that time. Oh, but I do think Ronnie Ventura is a totally hot teen M-I-L-F. What are you going to do about it?

The two boys began play fighting as Togepi looked on in utter confusion. Magmar, on the other hand, simply grinned and shook his head. Jett managed to put Ethan in a headlock and he struggled to get free.

"Ouch!" he groaned. "Did you forget that I got in a four on one beatdown last month?"

"Oh man!" Jett said as he loosened his grip. "Are you alright? I totally forgot about-"

In a quick move, Ethan managed to flip the distracted Jett onto the ground. The green-eyed boy stood up and dusted himself off. "I hope I didn't get you too dirty," Ethan taunted.

"Funny…" Jett replied sarcastically. "That's it for today, but next time, I won't fall for your little sneak attacks. You're lucky I need to look good for Sonia, but then again, even when I'm dirty, I'm still hot. Plus, I got my brother's old car. If that can't get girls, nothing can."

The two recalled their Pokémon as Ronnie approached them with her Mr. Mime. She was pushing a stroller while Mr. Mime used telekinesis to transport the diaper bag and the car seat. "Whew," Ronnie sighed. "Sorry it took me so long. I had to finish the homework from Aquatics, rush to pick up Joey from Professor Pine's, and then get all of his stuff, but I'm here. You are a safe driver, Jett?"

"If by safe, you mean drive as fast as you can, then yeah," Jett replied. "But, I'll put a lock on my amazing driving skills since we're gonna have two beautiful ladies and a baby in the car. Speaking of which, do you know Sonia Barret?"

"Yeah," Ronnie answered as she took Joey out of his stroller. "She was funny, always energetic, and a major flirt. Now that I think of it, she kinda reminds me of you…if you had boobs."

"Speaking of Sonia," Ethan interjected as he turned Jett's attention to the other direction. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that's her?"

The gorgeous brunette approached the three of them and Jett once again found himself a bit tense. "Hey, Sonia," he greeted nervously. "You look nice and I mean better than you did earlier even though you have on like the same clothes and everything."

"Thanks," she replied. "You look good too and your car is awesome!" She glanced inside the car and her eyes widened. "Ronnie Ventura? Holy crap, I heard you left Seathroul, but Breezy started a rumor that you got transferred to that military academy that's in Unova this year. I should've known she was lying. Where's that cute little baby at?"

Ronnie pointed to the car seat. "He's asleep right now, but he'll probably be awake by the time we get to the Sprout Tower."

"Speaking of which," Jett said as he reached for the keys. "Time for us to go. Now, whose ready to see a dirty swaying tower and some old sages?"

* * *

Rietta glanced around the small room where the Friendship Club was held. It was a small and cozy portable outside the main building with two large windows and a wooden door. There were old couches that were pushed together in a circle where the members sat and talked to one another. The decorations surrounding the room were made up of very bright colors with a large mural on the ceiling that showed children from all over the world holding hands with one another in perfect harmony.

"Dear, Arceus," Rietta sighed to herself. "This is…too sweet. Ugh…"

She figured Z.K. and Becca had either come for the free food or just to sleep on the couches since she knew that they weren't the type to just show up at a Friendship Club. However, she did realize that they didn't exactly have that many friends and after looking around the room, she realized that the majority of the students that were present were generally loners.

There was Leo Smith, who was one of Logan's roommates. From what Rietta knew about him, he came from a foster home and was a quiet and intelligent boy. Next to him was Grey Thomas, who claimed to be able to understand Pokémon and she knew that he was roommates with Shane, but that was just about it. Cecil Vitalis and Henry Cook were seated next to one another. They were also Shane's roommates and generally kept to themselves with Cecil being an avid gamer and Henry being a photographer. Sitting next to Grey was the red-haired Juniper Hawthorne and from what Rietta knew, the girl was extremely intelligent, being in the top three of their class, only falling behind Shane and herself. The last person she recognized was Asher McConnell of the first year trio and wondered why he was there. He had friends, but judging by the meek expression on his face, Rietta came to the conclusion that his friends' large personalities overwhelmed his shy and quiet demeanor. Other than Ilys, she didn't recognize anyone else. She was sure she knew a few more faces, but she really didn't care.

"_Maybe Shane's right_," Rietta thought to herself. "_I mean, I hang out with a lot of people, but only when I'm with Logan and Jett. When they're not around, I barely even associate with Roux or Ethan or Emma or any of them. I used to think it was just their problem, but maybe…"_

Christina walked to the center of the circle as her Vulpix climbed on top of her shoulder. "Hi everyone!" she started cheerfully. "Welcome to the first ever meeting of the Friendship Club! If you don't know, my name is Christina Tenner. Now, I know most of us have had difficulties in the past and I believe that in a few weeks, we'll be able to discuss our lives with each other. There are no secrets here and no one is judged for their appearance or popularity or grades or anything. We are all people with Pokémon, but more importantly, we're all friends!"

"_No one is judged_…" Rietta thought.

Christina went on for a few more minutes before there was a knock on the door. Professor Pine entered the room and smiled at the children. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said. "But I need to speak to Henrietta for a second."

Rietta arched an eyebrow as she followed Pine out of the room. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing of the sort," Pine answered. "It's about your GPA."

"What about it?"

"Well, Henrietta," Pine began. "You have remarkable grades in everything except one subject. You're gym grade is affecting your overall grade point average and you've dropped by a point."

Rietta looked at her in absolute horror. To her, this was like a nightmare come true. "That means…"

"Yes," Pine said as she nodded her head. "Shane Clarke is at the top of the class..."

The professor covered her ears as Rietta let out an ear-piercing scream. She began breathing heavily and the professor had to try to hold her laughter in. "I-I can fix this!" Rietta stammered. "Please don't tell me that you've told Clarke."

"I'm sorry, but it was only fair that I tell him."

Rietta sighed "What did he say?"

The professor reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She went to her saved videos and handed it to Rietta. In a matter of seconds, Shane's face came into view.

"_Hey, Muk-Face! This is probably one of the greatest days of my life! Not only did I make it to the top of the class, but I surpassed you. You're probably crying your eyes out! Man, I really hope you are. Your misery gives me strength. Now, I'm better than you at school and life! You suck and I rule! Ha! Victory dance time! Seviper, turn on the music!"_

Rietta simply watched as Shane began dancing in the video. It ended with confetti falling from the ceiling with Shane giving the camera the middle finger causing Rietta to wonder why he hadn't at least received detention. Professor Pine had obviously read her thoughts.

"I gave him detention for it," Pine told her. "But he was happy to go. Um, I guess you need some alone time…"

* * *

Jett, Ethan, Ronnie, and Sonia stood in the small crowd watching the Elder Sage battle a young man from Seathroul. He had purple hair with green eyes and was dressed in a very formal matter.

"Not a bad battler," Jett said to Sonia. "You said he's from Seathroul?"

"Yeah," Sonia answered. "Lyle Edwards. He's normally a cool guy, but ever since this war started, he's been hanging out with Duncan's gang. The guy really hates Louhearst for some reason…"

The battle ended and the Elder Sage was the victor. He shook hands with Lyle before the young man disappeared into the crowd. The Elder stood calmly as he awaited the next challenger.

"Hey, Ethan," Jett said. "You want to go up or should I?"

"Let's flip a coin," Ethan replied as he reached in his pocket.

However, before he could get it out, he heard music playing and the crowd parted way to see what was going on. Shane Clarke walked through the crowd dressed in a very fancy black suit and a pair of sunglasses. He had Jewel and Mari around each of his arms, Seviper was draped across his shoulders, Rolen and Tinett were walking behind them and for some reason, Lulu was playing a trumpet.

"This has got to be something stupid…" Jett muttered.

"Definitely," Ethan added.

Shane let go of the girls and stepped to the center of the crowd all while staring directly into the Elder Sage's amber eyes. "Shane Clarke…" the Elder said calmly. "Ah, I have anticipated your arrival."

"So you've already heard of me?" Shane asked as a smirk formed across his face.

The Elder nodded his head. "I know all about you and your family…"

"Well," Shane continued. "I bet you didn't know that I accomplished something great today. Today, I became the top trainer in my class. After a year of being number two to an undeserving loser, I'm finally on top!"

Ronnie stared at him in confusion as she turned to Jett. "I thought Rietta was at the top of the class?"

"She is…" Jett said. "Or she was. Dude, she is probably having a Miltank right now!"

Shane continued staring at the Elder in a focused and determined fashion. "As the most powerful trainer at Louhearst, I challenge you! One-on-one! What do you say to that, old man?"

"I accept…"

"Lulu, play the battle music!" Shane ordered as he reached for a Poké Ball. Lulu began playing as Shane tossed the ball in the air. "Victreebel, let's show them what a real grass type is like!"

"_Viiiiiii_!"

"Weepinbell," the Elder called out. "Get ready to battle!"

"Growth!" Shane shouted.

The green beam erupted from Victreebel's vines and the grass Pokémon smirked at her opponent. "Acid!"

"_Viiii!"_

"Dodge and use Slam!" the Elder yelled.

Weepinbell jumped over the purple gunk that was headed its way and slammed into Victreebel, knocking her over in the process. As Victreebel struggled to get up, Shane realized that he should think practically. The Elder was an extremely skilled trainer and Shane knew that he couldn't underestimate the man.

"Wrap!" the Elder commanded. Weepinbell wrapped its vines tightly around Victreebel and began squeezing tightly. "Now, use Slam!"

"_Weeepiii!"_

Once again, Shane saw Victreebel fall to the ground, this time even harder. He began getting nervous. Victreebel hadn't landed a single hit on Weepinbell. The Elder looked to be finished with the battle. "Razor Leaf-"

"Leaf Blade!" Shane shouted.

"_Weeepii!"_

"_Viiii!"_

The razor sharp leaves flew at Victreebel as she began slicing through them extremely quickly, each time moving closer and closer to Weepinbell before slashing the Pokémon across its face.

"_Slam!"_

"_Acid!"_

Weepinbell managed to connect with Victreebel, but the acid hit it square in the face causing it to lose focus which in turn made the slam weaker than the previous two. However, Victreebel was struggling hard to maintain her balance and Shane knew that he had to end the battle immediately. He noticed Weepinbell trying to get the acid off of its face and he took a deep breath. This last move would either make or break the battle.

"Leaf Storm!" he shouted. "Maximum power! Quickly!"

"_Viiiictreeeeee!"_

The leaves on Victreebel began glowing until they turned into a blinding bright green color. In a flash, a powerful cyclone of wind and a torrent of green leaves flew at Weepinbell at maximum power. When the attack ended, the grass Pokémon stared into the eyes of its evolutionary form before collapsing onto the ground. The battle was over.

"Good job, Victreebel," Shane sighed as he held out her Poké Ball. "Return!"

The Elder recalled Weepinbell and began clapping. The crowd followed suit and in a matter of seconds, there were loud cheers from the mass. Even Jett and Ethan joined in, though Shane didn't care for it. The Elder gestured for him to come forward.

"You Vellas always give me an excellent fight," he said calmly. Shane looked at him in surprise and the Elder simply nodded his head. "I know all about you and your family. In fact, I challenged your mother when she was your age. I remember how she had the same expression on her face when she walked into the Sprout Tower. I want you to remember something, Shane. You are in control of your own destiny. The path expected of you and the path of righteousness may be one in the same or they may be two different roads. I know you are a good person and I know that there is an internal struggle that you are faced with every day. You act the way that you do because you have a hard time choosing what is right and what is expected. I can see it in your eyes. There is something I want to give to you so you can always remember the battle we had today."

The Elder reached into his robe and pulled out a gold coin and showed both sides to the young man. The first side had a picture of what seemed to be a dragon Pokémon that Shane had never seen before. The other side had another dragon Pokémon that Shane couldn't recognize either.

"Two sides of one coin," the Elder continued as he placed the coin in Shane's hand. "One side represents the right path and the other side represents the easy path. It is up to you to figure out which side is which and which path you will go down. Good luck…"

* * *

Logan, Rus, Jeremy, Nina and Kaylee cheered with the crowd as the _Psycho Spindas_ finished preforming. Logan felt like this was easily one of the best nights of his life right after the trip to Tohjo Falls with Roux. He suddenly felt a bright light shining in his face and his breathing became heavier.

"Row Ten!" Dirk, the lead singer yelled into the microphone. "Come on stage to get your backstage passes!"

"Oh…my…Arceus…" Nina began. "That's…our row. That's our row!"

"Logan, I can't move!" Rus said. "This is a dream come true!"

Jeremy lifted Rus and slung him across his shoulders as he, Logan, Nina, and Kaylee rushed on stage. Logan's eyes widened as he stood face to face with the _Psycho Spindas_. He knew that he couldn't even pretend to act cool as Dirk approached him with the microphone.

"What's your name, kid?"

"L-Logan M-Martin," he stammered.

"Logan Martin!" Dirk shouted into the microphone as he turned his attention to the crowd. "Well, Logan, and his friends will not only be receiving backstage passes, but they'll be getting two tickets each to our next concert in Cianwood City!"

The security guard handed them the passes and their tickets as they followed the _Psycho Spindas_ back stage to their recreation room. They autographed pictures and t-shirts for them and Logan couldn't believe his luck. He took a picture with Dirk and the others and immediately forwarded it to his friends. They hung out with the band and talked for a while before Logan headed down the hall to use the bathroom.

"This is unreal…" he said to himself as he made his way towards the sink. As usual, he didn't have to use the bathroom, but he felt like his hands could never get clean. As he felt the warm water hit his hands, he looked into the mirror to see something approaching him from behind.

"Use enough soap, Logan…" the voice taunted.

He whirled around and to his surprise, it was the girl he had saw outside the concert. "The girls' bathroom is next door," he told her.

"I don't need to use the bathroom," the girl replied irritably. "I've heard of you before. My name is Sadie Yanes and I go to Seathroul, but that's not important. What is important is that you have two tickets for the next concert in Cianwood and I want them."

Logan stared at her like she was crazy. "You're out of your mind, Sandra or whatever the hell your name is. So, what's the deal? You were stalking me until you could get me alone and _demand_ my tickets."

Sadie smirked and reached into the pocket of her shorts and retrieved a wad of money. "Three hundred and fifty bucks," she said. "You beat me at a card game, you get all of it, but if I beat you, I get the tickets. Come on, if you win, you'll have enough money to buy more tickets and I'll even let you pick the game."

"Fine," Logan said as a grin formed on his face. "Blackjack…"

* * *

Logan stood in the bathroom dressed in a gray t-shirt and black boxers with matching gray socks. Not only had he lost the tickets, but he had lost his shirt, his pants, his shoes, and his coat. His face was red with anger as he tossed his silver skull necklace over to Sadie who was grinning in satisfaction.

"Should we keep going?" she taunted. "You really don't want to lose your boxers do you, Emo Boy? Or should I take your eyeliner instead? That'll probably be worse for you, huh."

"You tricked me you little troll!" Logan shot back. "But that's cool because I have a challenge for you."

"I don't think so," Sadie replied. "I won and you lost. It's over!"

"No the hell it's not!" Logan shouted. "When the expedition gets to Azalea Town, Louhearst and Seathroul will be touring each other's campuses. I challenge you to a battle and if you win, I'll give you four hundred dollars and give you my employee discount at the clothing store I work at."

"As if…"

"What's the matter?" Logan taunted. "Are you scared? Maybe that's why you cheat people out of their stuff. You obviously suck as a trainer."

Sadie glared at him. "Fine, you're on."

"See you in a month, troll…"

"Count on it, Emo Boy…"

* * *

**AN: Final chapter of 2010! Happy New Year! **

**Later!**


	11. Azalea Antics

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**Azalea Antics**

Logan, Jett, and Rietta took a seat at the table at a small restaurant south of the Ruins of Alph. The expedition had started moving from Violet City to Azalea Town and the academy tours were to begin the next morning. Logan was taking the tour to Seathroul, Jett was going to the Slowpoke Well, and Rietta would be guiding the visiting Seathroul students around Louhearst. They all had their minds on different objectives. Rietta was only guiding so that she could earn extra credit and hopefully raise her grades enough to be at the top of the class again, Jett had to assist his brother, Jerry, with his date with Emma's sister since Emma was going on the Seathroul tour, and Logan was obsessed with getting his concert tickets back from Sadie Yanes.

"So, Logan," Jett began. "Tell us again how Sadie kicked your ass at blackjack."

"I don't know," he replied. "I talked to those Seathroul guys, Justin and Derek, and they say she does that crap all the time. She even has a nickname. They call her 'Shady Sadie' because she cheats people out of their money and their other important stuff even if it's their Pokémon. Hell, they even said that she stole her Salamence from its trainer before she started Seathroul. Man, Mark was right. That school is full of psychos."

"Psycho or not," Jett said as he glanced at the menu. "This Sadie girl sounds like a badass. Was she hot?"

Logan frowned at him. "It doesn't matter how hot she was. She cheated me out of my tickets, my skull necklace, and my clothes. I had to ride home in my underwear. Some first year girls took pictures and they're probably on the internet by now. It doesn't matter because I'm going to stomp her ass in our battle."

"Chill out dude," Jett remarked. "Right now, we need to be focused on getting some food. What are you guys ordering?"

"I definitely need a salad," Rietta stated. "If I'm going to get my gym grade up, I got to eat healthy, right?"

"Or you could just exercise," Logan told her. "If anything, you need some meat. Protein, Rietta."

Jett grinned. "I taught him that, but listen, being in shape doesn't work for everyone like it does for me. My grandpa knew a guy who smoked and drank every day, ate fatty foods, and hardly ever exercised. Died when he was ninety-two of natural causes. The guy's brother? Never smoked or drank, always ate healthy, and exercised every day. Got hit by a bus coming home from the gym. You never know when you're going to die. That's one thing I learned the hard way…"

Logan shifted around uncomfortably and suddenly stood up from the table. "Jett, just order me whatever you're getting. I need to go to the bathroom." He hurried through the tables, not even looking back as he entered the restroom. Jett's words had made him uneasy and he remembered what Xavier had told him a few months earlier. He turned the water on and stuck his hands under the sink. He had mentioned this strange habit of continuously washing his hands to his family, but he objected to seeing a therapist.

"_I'm not crazy_…" he thought. "_I'm not crazy_…"

Looking up at the spotless white walls, he saw the designs of the Unown scattered around the room. He remembered seeing a tile game outside the restroom where the little kids were spelling letters with the small Unown tablets. He had heard legends about the Unown and their dimension from his grandfather, but he knew they were myths. Still, he couldn't help wondering if there was a connection between the Unown and the code. Stepping out of the bathroom, Logan went to the tile game, but stopped when he realized that there were only five slots and that the code was nine letters long. He muttered a few swears as he stared at the Unown tablets above the game. There were five sets of twenty-eight and he glanced at each tablet on the first set before stopping at the V-shaped Unown.

"Wait a second…"

He grabbed the tablet and placed it into the first slot before searching for an E-shaped one. Repeating the process, he grabbed two L-shaped Unown tablets, one from the first set and one from the second set. He put them in the slots and suddenly stopped. Logan stared at the last empty slot for a few seconds before shifting his vision to the A-shaped tablet that rested above the game. Taking a deep breath, he slowly grabbed the tablet and placed it in the slot. Logan took a step back and gazed at the tile game.

"V-E-L-L-A" he spelled out.

Logan grinned to himself as he wiped his face. He knew that it was stupid to get so riled up about a game for small children. He turned in the opposite direction, but suddenly stopped when he saw something dripping on his shirt. His eye widened as the crimson blood began to pour from his nose. Turning his attention back to the tile game, Logan was met with a blinding light.

"What the hell is going on?" he said to himself. "Am I the only one who sees this?"

The bright light subsided and Logan saw the five tablets fall onto the floor and in their place he saw a large black book. As Logan walked closer, he realized that the book was somehow sticking to the wall without any support.

"The book of Saul Vella…"

Logan could have sworn that Dean Horace had left the book with Xavier. He even saw it in Xavier's possession, but he could immediately tell that the book in front of him was not a replica. The title was the exact same with Lord Monsiadem's birth name, Robert Horace, written on it in Old English and the code written on it in big golden letters. Logan grabbed the book and watched in amazement as the pages began turning themselves. Rushing back into the restroom, Logan locked himself in the third stall and began reading:

_The Curse_

_In the time that I had begun my journey towards redemption, I had won the heart of Zipporah, repaid my debts to every villager that my reign of terror had affected, and was ready to start a new chapter of my life. I settled down in my castle with Zipporah and we had many children._

_However, all was not well. I began to notice a few of my children displaying terrifying and even downright evil behavior. I could not discover why they were being driven to madness. The healers had told me that they all possessed some sort of mental illness that they could not identify. I immediately sent for the wisest and most powerful sorceress in the world…_

_Her name was Jahzara Zavala and I could never forget her. She had long, curly, shining black hair, smooth, light brown skin, and emerald green eyes that seemed to be dancing with life. Her behavior was a bit eccentric and she possessed a very noticeable humorous side that constantly manifested itself to the point where she could've been mistaken for a court jester. No matter what the current predicament was, you would always a smile on her face._

_Jahzara's Pokémon partner was of a species I had only heard about in legends. It was a Spiritomb and Jahzara mentioned that it helped her with her magic. I took all of my children to visit Jahzara's home in a small Egyptian village and she was able to contact the spirits for three days. She told me that although I had started my redemption, I was still going to be punished by the Original One for my past misdeeds. The punishment was that my children and all of my descendants would have the mental illness that would eventually drive them insane. The __Vella Curse__ as it would be referred to as._

_I pleaded to Jahzara to contact the Original One once more so that I could beg for the health of my children and my descendants. For one month, I lived with Jahzara until she was finally able to contact the Original One and plead for me. In the end, she was able to bargain with him. The curse would always exist in each and every one of my descendants and in different ways, but they could all fight off and eventually do away with the curse within themselves if they had a strong urge to do good in their lives. _

_I agreed that this was only fair after all of my atrocities. Jahzara became a life-long friend and as a token of our friendship, I gave her an ancient relic from my ancestors. It was a silver ornament in the shape of a Pokémon from the future that would be known as Alakazam and she accepted the gift. She told me that our friendship would span into the afterlife and that one day, we would be able to watch the descendants of our children become life-long friends…_

Logan closed the book and stuffed it into his jacket. He couldn't believe what he had just read and he sighed in defeat. There actually was a curse that would make him insane, but he would not accept it. It had to be a lie. Shane Clarke came from the same lineage and Logan was sure he didn't have an urge to do any good, but he hadn't seen any signs that Shane's sanity was slipping, except that time when he, Jett, and Rietta had first ran into the Cherry Boys after they had defeated Shane, Rolen, and Tinett. It was the only time that Logan was actually afraid of Shane. He thought about his mother, sisters, and aunts. He knew that his mother had always been eccentric, but she was kind to everyone she came in contact with. Coco was the exact same as their mother just without the quirks and Riri only had a slight attitude problem. They were perfectly sane as was Xavier. His mind drifted to Laurina Clarke. From what he could tell, she was the most normal out of everyone in the family, but all he really knew about her was that she genuinely loved Shane.

"_Zaria_…" he thought. "_She's batshit insane, but it's just a coincidence. Yeah, nothing to worry about. Every family has a murderous psychopath, right?"_

He knew that he was trying to make himself feel better. Zaria was indeed proof that the Vella family was messed up, but Logan felt like he was different. He thought about the passage and he arched an eyebrow as he pulled the book back out reread Jahzara Zavala's description. "Curly black hair, emerald green eyes, light brown skin," he read aloud. "Could be mistaken for a court jester…and her last name was Zavala. That's the same as…no way. It must be some sort of coincidence."

"Hey, Martin!" Shane's voice yelled as he entered the restroom. "Martin, you in here?"

Logan stuffed the book into his jacket once more and came out of the stall. Shane was staring at his reflection in the mirror and he seemed to be in deep thought. "What's up, Clarke?" he said, trying not to look suspicious.

"Mitchell and Mackenzie told me that you were in here," Shane explained. "I was waiting outside, but it was taking you all day. I heard that you're taking on Shady Sadie from Seathroul, so there's something I want to give you."

He reached in his pocket and handed Logan a white envelope. Logan stared at it in confusion. "What is it?"

"Five hundred dollars," Shane replied simply. "You don't need to waste your money on a lowlife like Sadie Yanes, so I decided to help you out. I know you only needed four hundred, so go ahead and keep the extra money."

"Wow, I don't know what to say. Wait a minute, what's the catch?"

"There's no catch," Shane answered irritably. "It's just…I had a conversation with the Elder Sage at the Sprout Tower back in Violet City and I don't know, I guess you can say he opened my eyes or whatever. Listen, I'm being charitable so you'd better appreciate it. It's the least I can do after what happened at Mt. Moon last year."

"You mean when you hit me in the head with a rock and put me in a coma?" Logan questioned. "And afterwards when you pinned the explosion on me?"

Shane groaned as he frowned at Logan. "Fine, I'm sorry I kicked your ass! Now, do you want the money or not? You don't have to take it, but listen, Jewel's going to be in a preliminary beauty pageant in Azalea next week. We got the beauty and talent part down, but we need to lame heartfelt speech thing and that's why I need to talk to Emily."

"Emily? You mean, Emma?"

"Emily, Emma, the blonde farm chick with the huge boobs, whatever you want to call her. I need her phone number. She's the only one I know that can help Jewel with her speech and I need to talk to her tonight since I have to be a tour guide to the Seathroul students tomorrow."

Logan handed his phone over to Shane and he copied Emma's number before handing it back to Logan. Shane started out, but was stopped by Logan. "There's something I want to ask you. What do you know about…the Vella Curse?"

Shane looked at him in confusion. "The Vella Curse? Oh, you mean that stupid old myth. My mother told me something about it a few years ago. Apparently, our family is cursed because of Saul Vella. She said the curse manifests itself as some kind of mental illness that's supposed to drive you insane if you do evil, but that's completely retarded. Tons of families have mental illnesses so it's nothing to get stressed out over. Anyway, good luck in your battle…"

The two boys left the restroom and headed in opposite directions. Logan made it back to the table and began eating. Jett and Rietta were in some sort of conversation and he tuned them out. The dessert came to the table shortly afterwards, but it was just three bowls of frosting.

"What the hell is this?" Logan asked Jett. "It's just frosting."

"Oh yeah," Jett replied. "This restaurant is famous for awesome frosting, so I figured we should give it a shot. I got to hurry up and finish before the band shows up. It took me days to convince Rolen to join in and he even bought a bass guitar. I've been working on a new song and my grades are getting better so my brother said that if I helped him out on his date with Sarah, I'll get his old electric guitar."

"You didn't tell us you were working on a new song," Logan told him.

"Or that your grades were getting better," Rietta added.

"Well as far as writing a song goes, you two seemed too busy worrying about other things, so I didn't want to bother you guys. As for my grades, I got a new tutor. That June Hawthorne girl. I don't know, it's like she explains things so good that it makes it easy for me to pick it up quicker."

Rietta arched an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I always tutor you anyway. Why didn't you just come to me? My grades are higher than June's."

"Yeah," Jett started. "But whenever you tutored me, I still got failing grades. It's easier to concentrate when you're not being called an idiot every ten seconds."

Rietta frowned at him. "Well, maybe if you focused more, I wouldn't have to call you an idiot every ten seconds!"

"Excuse me!"

Logan sighed as the two of them began arguing. He attempted to tune them out, but they just kept getting louder and louder until Logan decided that he was tired of listening to them. Every day for over a year, it was the same thing. Rietta would say something to upset Jett and he would snap back and vice-versa. Logan stood up from the table and glared at both of them.

"Shut the hell up!" he shouted. Jett and Rietta's eyes widened in disbelief as they gazed in awe at Logan's furious expression. "No one in the _entire_ school thinks that your arguing is cute. It's freakin' annoying as hell! Ask Z.K., Ethan, Roux, anyone and they'll agree. I'm sick of babysitting you two. Jett, it's good that you're making progress, but you don't have to rub it in her face and you can ignore her if she has some kind of smartass remark. Rietta, maybe if you stop being an ice queen for like ten seconds and actually try to be nice to the people who are supposed to be your friends, Jett wouldn't have to go to someone else for tutoring. So once again, I have to be the adult and reprimand the situation. Eat your frosting kiddos."

He sat back down and Jett and Rietta didn't even look at one another much less speak. "So…" Jett said. "Good frosting, huh?"

"It's decent…" Rietta replied.

Logan sighed. "Sorry I freaked out. It's just…well I don't feel like explaining, but yeah, sorry about snapping."

"Apology accepted," Jett said. "But dude, you got frosting all over your face."

"No I don't."

Jett reached into his bowl and grabbed a large glob of frosting before pushing into Logan's face. "You do now."

Rietta let out a laugh before being pelted with frosting by Logan. "Oops…" he said innocently. "I guess my aim is off."

Immediately the trio began throwing frosting at one another, their mini-food fight drawing attention from the other customers at the restaurant. With all that they had been going through together and individually, they didn't have many chances to just have fun like they did during the previous year. By the time they were thrown out of the restaurant, they realized that they now had to go through Union Cave at night with their clothes drenched in frosting.

"Let's get going," Jett told them as he licked the remains of the frosting off of his fingers. "Man, that is some good frosting…"

* * *

Rolen entered the small room of the Azalea Louhearst with his blue bass guitar in his hand and looked at the other four with an indifferent expression on his face. He had been combing his hair when Roux had called him earlier that morning and he was upset that she interrupted him, but he figured he had another chance to brag about his guitar to Jett. They had all met up last night after traveling through Union Cave to discuss the dynamics of the band. Jett would be lead singer, Roux would be lead guitar, Rolen would be on the bass and vocals, Mike would be the keyboardist, Ethan would be on drums, and their Pokémon would provide backup vocals and visual effects for the band.

"We have all month to practice the new song that Jett wrote," Roux explained. "Daisy and the rest of the Frenzy Plants told me that if we're good enough, they'll reference us to _Kooley Brothers Records_ in Goldenrod City. The older brother is the father of Kelsey Kooley."

"No way!" Jett interjected. "Kelsey Kooley. The Kelsey Kooley. We might actually get to meet her?"

"I didn't say that," Roux replied. "I said that we may be able to meet her dad and uncle, but I don't know if we'll meet Kelsey."

"I'm already good enough," Rolen stated. "I'm sure you losers need some practice, but I don't."

Roux sighed. "Listen, Rolen, we've only performed one song together and it wasn't even our song and as far as being good goes, good is not enough. We have to be totally awesome."

"Yeah, I'm definitely in for some practicing," Mike added.

"I think we need a gimmick," Ethan said. "I mean most bands have some sort of gimmick. What do you guys think?"

"Our name is _Superego_," Jett started. "We just need to think of a gimmick that has something to do with that. How about a Pokémon? What is the most arrogant looking Pokémon that we can think of?"

"Well…" Rolen began. "There is one that I can think of. I saw it when my parents took me to Unova on a business trip a few years ago. It was a grass Pokémon called…Snivy, if I'm correct. It's one of the starters for new trainers in Unova. Trust me, its evolutions are worse. Cooper, pull it up on your laptop."

Mike opened his laptop and quickly began typing. He ushered Jett, Roux, and Ethan over to the screen and they saw the grass snake. It was mostly green with a cream-colored underside, two yellow shapes that came out of its shoulders giving it the appearance of wearing a collar, and a large, palmate leaf with three prongs on the end of its tail. They noticed the eyes of the Pokémon were half-closed and it had a smirk on its face giving it the egotistic look that Rolen mentioned.

"It's so cute!" Roux exclaimed. "I'm sure that they're not all arrogant. It's just the way they look, but it definitely works for our band so I guess our colors are green and yellow. If only we could catch one."

"We can worry about catching one later," Rolen said. "I can pay for our costumes and get them in when we actually become a recognized band. Roux, I recommend you trade out those purple highlights for green and yellow ones. So, when do we start practicing?"

"Tomorrow," Jett answered as he heard a knock on the door. "I have to go to the Slowpoke Well to help my brother out on a date and Roux and Ethan are going on the tour to Seathroul."

"Hey, me and Rolen can stay here and practice by ourselves then," Mike said. "What do you say, Rolen?"

"Sure, why not?"

Jett opened the door and Emma walked in with Jewel following behind her with a small Skitty-shaped notepad and a pen. "I'm teaching Jewel how to be nice for her upcoming beauty pageant," Emma explained. "So, Jewel, did you see how I knocked before entering? That's what's your supposed to do before entering someone's room. Who's all going to Seathroul with us?"

"Me and Roux are going," Ethan answered. "And Ronnie's going to meet us on the bus after she takes Joey to Professor Pine. You ready to head out?"

"Yeah, let's go."

"Wait a sec," Jewel started as she held her pen to her notepad. "Jacobs, how is a nice person supposed to deal with Boyfriend Stealer Roux? You seem pretty calm about the fact that she's pretty much the reason your boyfriend broke up with you. You do know that Martin and Roux made out like thirty minutes after you two broke up, right?"

"Wow, this is awkward," Jett said as he headed out of the door. "Catch you guys later."

"Meet you guys on the bus," Ethan added nervously as he followed Jett out.

"And uh," Mike started. "I think me and Rolen are just going to practice at my dorm. Later."

They quickly hurried out leaving the three girls alone. Emma and Roux could tell that Jewel really didn't mean any harm and that she was just curious to know as they could see by the expression on her face. "Jewel," Emma began. "Umm, there's another thing about being nice that I think you should know. Some things shouldn't be said aloud."

"Hey, Jewel," Roux told her as she finished writing on the notepad. "Why don't you head to the bus? We'll be out there in a second."

"Sure, whatever," she said as she walked out of the door. "Both of you sit by me, so I can take notes."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Roux turned her attention back to Emma. "Listen, I know you and I don't really know each other that well, but honestly, I wasn't trying to steal Logan from you. It's just that one thing led to another and we ended up making out. He doesn't even want a girlfriend right now, so I think we should both just forget about him. We run with the same circle of friends, so maybe we should get to know each other better? What do you think?"

Emma sighed as a slight smile formed on her face. "Yeah, I guess we should hangout more. Let's get to the bus…"

* * *

There were two students from each year signed up to be tour guides for the Seathroul students visiting Louhearst. Nina and Kaylee were the tour guides for the fourth year Seathroul students, Nikki and Eliza for the third years, Rietta and Shane for the second years, and Christina and Ilys for the first years. They had all arrived at the front of the building on time except for Shane, who showed up three minutes before the Seathroul students arrived.

"Ugh," he started as he looked at the female tour guides. "I feel like I just entered an estrogen sweatshop. Ladies, if it's your time of the month, I can guide the tour all by myself." All of them except for Christina glared daggers at him. "Apparently, I may be onto something."

"Shane," Rietta started. "I know we're not the best of friends. Can we at least attempt to get alone?"

"If you were Martin or Mitchell, I could try," Shane retorted. "But, you just piss me off every time that you open your mouth. I'll see what I can do though…"

The Seathroul bus arrived on campus and the students began unloading one by one, the last two students obviously being the Seathroul bullies who were a part of Duncan Mendoza's gang. "You see that hot one," Nikki whispered to Eliza. "That's Zack Winters, the guy who had a kid with that second year and helped beat up Ethan." She pointed to his comrade, a tall and thin boy with fair skin, dark eyes, and long, frizzy black hair all over his head. "And that's Adam Tifatillah. Damn, he has a lot of hair."

"Tell me about it," Eliza added. "When he was the last time he went to a barber?"

"Welcome, Seathroul students!" Kaylee began as a crowd gathered around them. She settled the other tour guides in a row before she continued. "My name is Kaylee Arnett and this is Nina Richardson. We will be the guides for the fourth years, so I want every fourth year to make a line in front of Nina. All the third years will make a line in front of Nikki and Eliza, all the second years in front of Henrietta and Shane, and all the first years in front of Ilys and Christina. Please keep your Pokémon inside their Poké Balls and if you have any questions, just ask one of us. Now, let's start the tour!"

Kaylee and Nina led the fourth years inside the main building as Ilys and Christina began leading the first years towards the west side of Louhearst. Rietta, Shane, Nikki, and Eliza were still trying to get their groups together.

"Look what we have here," Zack Winters began as he and his frizzy-haired friend approached the two third year girls. "Nita and Elena, right?"

"Nikki and Eliza," Eliza corrected. "Listen, Zack, we know all about you, so we don't want any trouble."

"Trouble?" Zack questioned as he wrapped his arms around the two girls. "Why would I want to cause trouble especially for you two pretty ladies? If I wanted to cause trouble, I would've brought the rest of my friends. Me and Tifatillah are as harmless as a cluster of Metapod."

"Totally harmless," Tifatillah added. "In fact, we're total angels. You can almost see the halos on our heads"

"Total angels don't jump students in alleys," Nikki remarked as she and Eliza pushed Zack off of them. "You two better behave yourselves. Come on, let's go."

The two girls lead the group of third years towards the east building leaving Rietta and Shane alone to deal with the second year Seathroul students. "I know I'll be able to control our group unlike those two," Shane said.

"Whatever," Rietta replied as she rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

Before they could address the group, they were approached by a group of girls. The leader was a very slim and slightly tanned girl with slanted chocolate brown eyes and long wavy brown hair. "Hi," she greeted in a seemingly friendly tone. "I'm Brianna Zeno, but everyone just calls me Breezy."

"Why do they call you that?" Shane asked.

"Well, I specialize in speedy Pokémon," Breezy bragged. "And I can run like the wind which is why I don't look gross like some of these Louhearst girls I've seen. So, where are our tour guides?"

"You're looking at them," Rietta answered simply.

"Seriously?" Breezy said as she stared at Rietta in contempt. A grin formed on her face as she turned to the crowd and pointed at Rietta. "Hey everyone, guess who one of our tour guides is? She has brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. It's Stella Swanna from _Nightfall_!"

The crowd erupted in laughter and Shane didn't even bother to keep himself from joining in as Rietta's face twisted in anger. "You got burned!" he said in between his laughs. "Suck on that, Mackenzie."

"Oh!" Breezy continued to the crowd as she pointed at Shane. "And there's her vampire boyfriend, Edwin Colton. Looks like he dyed his hair blond! Where's Jason White the werewolf?"

The crowd laughed harder as Shane turned to Rietta. "Temporary truce? At least until this bitch goes back to Seathroul."

"Definitely…"

* * *

Jett lead the first year trio into Slowpoke Well. Asher was dressed as a Slowpoke, Mark as a Slowbro, and Jericho as a Slowking. Needless to say, all three of the young boys were completely embarrassed. Jett had offered to give them money at first, but it didn't work since Asher was almost as rich as the Soul Snakes. He then offered to give Mark some of his old magazines with girls in them which allowed Mark to convince the other two to join in.

"I hope no one saw us," Jericho stated. "Why are we even doing this again?"

"It's Azalea Town," Jett replied, ignoring Jericho's second sentence. "There are Slowpoke everywhere. Now, stand across the water and wave at us when I come by on the boat with my brother and his date. Sarah's probably going to want to take a picture of you guys, so smile if she pulls out a camera. I promised Emma that I wouldn't screw this up and I need to get Jerry's guitar, so I'm counting on you guys. Asher, come here for a second."

The small and meek boy walked over to Jett. "What is it? D-Did I do something wrong?"

"It's nothing like that, Asher," he said. "You're dressed as the Slowpoke. That means you're the main man. You're going to be front and center leading Mark and Jericho. You can handle it, right?"

"Y-Yeah," he answered.

Jett gave him a salute as he led Mark and Jericho around the body of water. Jett made his way to the small boat and made sure everything was right before climbing out of the well. He stood at the entrance for a few more minutes before he finally saw his brother approaching with his date.

Jerry Mitchell was an older, and some would say better, version of his younger brother. Unlike Jett, Jerry had inherited most of their father's physical traits. He had a tall and lean build with warm brown eyes, fair skin, and shaggy brown hair that made his hairstyle similar to Jett's. He kept his dark shades above his head only letting them down when the sun was extremely bright.

Like Jerry was preferred over Jett, Sarah Jacobs was usually more desired than her younger sister. She had long wavy strawberry blonde hair that went down to her shoulders and like Emma, she had cream colored skin, deep blue eyes, and a rather large chest.

Jett and Emma had Jerry and Sarah meet up with them in Violet City while the expedition was there. They had managed to hit it off and had each agreed to go on a second date in Azalea. Jett felt weird playing matchmaker considering the fact that he usually didn't care about a couple if it didn't involve him. In truth, he was just doing his friend and his brother a favor and he wanted Jerry's guitar which was his primary goal.

"What's up guys?" he greeted. "Are you two ready for like the most awesome date on the planet?"

"The most awesome date on the planet?" Sarah said. "Wow, I can't to see what you planned."

"Neither can I," Jerry added as he arched an eyebrow at his younger brother.

"Then you don't have to wait any longer," Jett continued. "By the end of this date, you two will be all over each other like salt on French fries. Now, follow me into the Slowpoke Well or as it will be referred to for today, the _Love Tunnel_…"

* * *

At Seathroul, the tours had been going pretty well. Justin McShan and his girlfriend, Sindy Malana were guiding the Louhearst second years around the academy and for the most part, things were going smoothly. The Louhearst students noted how Seathroul's building wasn't as updated as theirs due to the fact that Louhearst had a handful of wealthy students whose parents frequently made donations to the academy. Justin and Sindy led them into the courtyard at the conclusion of the tour, but attempted to go a different route when they noticed Duncan Mendoza and a large group of students hanging out there. However, they realized that he couldn't really do anything in the middle of the school's courtyard and that his more brutal companions were not even present.

"Look who it is," Duncan taunted as he and a few of his friends approached the group of Louhearst students. "Emma Jacobs, we meet again."

"Listen, I'm sorry I slapped you," she told him straightaway. "Can we just end it?"

Duncan grinned as he set his sights on Ethan. "I see you're better. Did we kick your ass too hard? Remember, it's all Emma's fault that had to happen to you and Ronnie's here too. This is like a reunion."

"Look," Ronnie started. "We're about to leave. Just let us go."

"Of course," he replied. "It's just me and Melvin by ourselves, so we're not going to hurt any of you. Percy and Vic are at Azalea's gym and Zack, Breezy, and Tifatillah are at Louhearst. Zack actually sent me a text a little while ago. He's working on getting some from those two third year tour guides. That's our Zack. Always trying to impregnate dumb sluts. Hey Ronnie, maybe if Zack's lucky he'll run into whoever is taking care of your kid and take a cute picture with his little bastard son!"

Ronnie immediately charged at Duncan and began furiously slapping him before a Seathroul girl grabbed her hair and began roughly yanking it. Emma, Roux, and Jewel attempted to break it up only for the girl to shove Jewel into Roux and Emma, knocking all three down in the process. Emma managed to get up and wrestled the girl to the ground as more Seathroul and Louhearst students joined in on the brawl.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ethan shouted at Duncan.

Duncan shoved him against a nearby wall, but was surprised when Ethan ducked the oncoming punch. He tackled Duncan onto the ground and began unleashing his anger on him in a fury of quick punches. He remembered being lured into the alley by Zack's sister back in Cherrygrove, he remembered how he tried to run only to be thrown against Duncan's car by Zack, and he remembered the vicious four on one beatdown that he suffered at their hands. Now it was time for payback. Despite what he had told Logan, Ethan couldn't help but to be satisfied with himself as he continued fighting with Duncan. A few of the Seathroul fourth years came on the scene along with the professors and their Pokémon and managed to put an end to the brawl.

"This isn't over yet, Louhearst!" Duncan shouted as he was carried off by the professors. "The war's back on! You'd better watch your backs!"

* * *

Z.K., Becca, and Rus sat under a large tree in Ilex Forest as they listened to Logan's conversation to his Pokémon. All six of them were standing around in the circle as Logan coached them on their strategy. "I want this battle to be a curb stomp," he told them. "I don't know if it's going to be one-on-one, three-on-three, or six-on-six, but I do know that our opponent is a lying, cheating, stealing troll and she doesn't deserve any mercy, so there's not going to be any! Z.K., come here for a sec."

She walked over to Logan and reached into her pockets as he recalled all of his Pokémon with the exception of Mawile. "Here's the other half," Z.K. said as she handed him half of a small white pill. "You took the other half earlier, so it shouldn't affect you too bad. If you would just go to therapy like your mom said, you'd be able to get a legal prescription for better stuff than this."

"Whatever," Logan said as he quickly swallowed the pill. "Here she comes. Tell Rus that I want him to record every second of this beatdown."

Z.K. went back to join Becca and Rus as Sadie approached Logan with a blue-eyed brunette in tow. "I see you brought your friends, Emo Boy," she taunted.

"They're just here to watch me kick the shit out of you in our battle," Logan shot back. "I see you brought a friend which is a surprise to me because I didn't know anyone would actually want to be friends with a thief who steals Pokémon from their trainers. What's your name?"

"Her name is Lilly," Sadie answered for the girl. She stared into Logan's glazed eyes and arched an eyebrow. "Are you high?"

"Doesn't matter," he said quickly. "Do you have my clothes and the tickets?"

She opened the small green bag that she was carrying and Logan went through it. Everything seemed to be in order until he noticed the tickets. He grabbed them and ripped them in half. "Do you think I'm stupid? Those are faker than you are! Let me see the real ones."

"Someone's grouchy today," Sadie said as she reached in her black tanktop and pulled out the real concert tickets. "Here they are. I'm keeping them warm."

"Listen," Logan said threateningly. "I can't hit you, but if you try anything, I have Z.K. and Becca here to beat the living hell out of you and trust me, they're more than a match for you."

Sadie glanced over Logan and at the two girls who eyed her. From their expressions, she could easily tell that they were not afraid of her, but she didn't care. "Are we going to battle or what? We need to hurry before your mascara starts running off."

"One-on-one?" Logan said.

"Sure," Sadie replied as she reached for a Poké Ball. "You must be pretty damn high to put all your hopes in a one-on-one battle. Get ready to lose four hundred dollars. Omlet, get on the battlefield."

Logan watched as the Togetic came out of her Poké Ball. She shot a quick nervous glance at her trainer before turning her attention back to Logan. Mawile hopped off of Logan's shoulders and stood face to face with Omlet. "Did you steal this one too?" Logan taunted.

"Actually I won her in a bet as a Togepi," Sadie replied. "The trainer didn't know what hit them."

"Did you cheat them like you did me?"

"It's not cheating if you don't get caught."

"You're pathetic." Logan stumbled a bit as he felt the effects from the pill. "You deserve this. Mawile, Sucker Punch! After that don't even use an attack, just stomp the shit out of it!"

Mawile immediately socked Omlet in her face, knocking the Togetic to the ground and began viciously attacking her. Logan made sure that Rus had a good shot with the camera and Z.K. was surprised to see the sheer brutality that Logan was displaying and was completely shocked to see Mawile following through.

"Ancient Power," Sadie commanded.

"Iron Defense!" Logan ordered.

"_Tiiiic!"_

"_Maaaawiiile!"_

Omlet unleashed the ball of energy as a light blue aura surrounded Mawile. Omlet's attack managed to hit Mawile, but the protective defense proved to be too powerful for Omlet's attack to do more than just push Mawile back a couple of inches.

"Iron Head, maximum power!" Logan shouted.

"_Maaaawiiile!"_

Mawile's head began glowing white as she rushed at her opponent at full speed. She knocked the Togetic into a large tree causing several branches to break off and hit it on the head.

"Omlet, Double Edge!"

"Mawile, Iron Head!"

The two Pokémon raced at one another, Mawile leaving a silver streak in her wake and Omlet leaving a gold one. They collided and the impact sent both of them flying into their respective trainers. Logan felt Mawile hit him in the chest and he doubled over on the ground from the pain. Z.K. and Becca rushed over to help him up as Sadie managed to get to her feet by herself.

Mawile succeeded in standing back up, her body covered in several cuts, but Omlet was down for the count. "I-I won!" Logan yelled. He was completely ignoring the pain he was in and didn't even notice the large bruise on his shoulder. "Ha! I told you, I was better. Give me my tickets and my clothes!"

"You know," Sadie started as she handed Logan the tickets and the bag. "I was thinking we could finish up with a double battle. All or nothing and the winner will get _two_ prizes. If I win, I get the tickets back and your four hundred dollars, but if you win, I'll give you…my pocketknife."

"You said two prizes," Logan said. "If you knew how to count, you'd realize that a knife is one thing."

"What else do you want? I can give you some eyeliner. As a matter of fact, that explains why you're such a bitch today. You're not wearing any eyeliner. Emos go crazy without their eyeliner."

"Hmm…" Logan said, ignoring Sadie's comment. "Becca, come over here for a second and stand next to this thing." Becca eyed Logan suspiciously as she walked over and stood next to Sadie. "They're about the same size, don't you think, Z.K.?"

"Definitely," Z.K. said having obviously caught on to Logan's idea. "Becca, do you like Sadie's outfit?"

"Oh…" Becca said as she noticed the look on Z.K.'s face. "That outfit is to die for. I would _love_ to wear it."

Sadie immediately shot an evil glare at Logan who responded with his own evil grin as he put his skull necklace on. "If you win, you get the tickets back and my four hundred dollars," he said calmly. "If I win, get ready to fork over the knife and your clothes. Try going back to school in your underwear and see how many people laugh at you. Trust me, it's not fun! Of course, you could just leave now and accept the fact that I totally wrecked your ass in our battle."

"You're a cocky little shit aren't you?" Sadie said.

"You're not exactly humble yourself, troll," Logan shot back. "What's your choice?"

Sadie reached for two of her Poké Balls. "I accept. Bring it!"

"Golduck, Charizard, come out and get ready to do some _major_ damage," Logan commanded as the two Pokémon came out and got into their fighting stances.

The white aura around Sadie's Pokémon disappeared and Golduck and Charizard found themselves staring face to face with a Sandslash and a Salamence. Charizard and Salamence glared at one another and suddenly, the two flying Pokémon took off into the sky. They began brutally attacking one another completely ignoring their respective trainers. Logan realized that Charizard had been given to him by Xavier and that Sadie had stolen her Salamence from a trainer, so neither of them had actually been raised by Logan and Sadie. He knew that they probably wouldn't listen, but Sadie didn't seem surprised at her Salamence's reaction. She simply looked on in indifference and at that moment, Logan really didn't care about the concert tickets or anything else. He hadn't met someone he disliked as much as Sadie in a long time. Not even Shane Clarke on his worst day was as bad as she was and he just wanted to humiliate her. He thought about the trainer that she had cheated out of their Togepi, but he had mixed feelings about anyone who would put their Pokémon on the line in a battle. His greatest sympathies went to the trainer who had their Salamence stolen from them by Sadie. He knew that dragon Pokémon were exceedingly rare and that they were extremely difficult to raise to their final stage.

"Hydro Pump!" he yelled at Golduck catching Sadie off guard. "And follow up with Zen Headbutt!"

"_Gooooolduuuuck!"_

The Pokémon shot a powerful torrent of water at Sandslash, knocking the ground Pokémon off of her feet. The moment Sandslash stood back up, it was on the receiving in of Golduck's skull sending her to the forest floor once more. Still, the ground Pokémon managed to get to its feet, if barely.

"Rapid Spin!" Sadie commanded.

"Aqua Jet!" Logan countered.

"_Saaaaandslaaaash!"_

"_Gooolduuuuck!"_

The attacks were too quick for either of the trainers to see. The collision of the two Pokémon caused a small cloud of dust to form and when it cleared, Golduck was standing victoriously over the Sandslash. Golduck turned its attention to the sky where Charizard and Salamence were going at it.

"Charizard!" Logan called out. "Fly down and pick up Golduck!"

Charizard dodged an oncoming Dragon Tail and swooped down to Golduck. The water Pokémon immediately hopped on Charizard's back and they took flight. The duo glared at the enrage Salamence who started shooting Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam at them.

"Get control of yourself, Bagel!" Sadie shouted. "I know you hate flying types, but you need to let it go!"

"Do you name all your Pokémon after breakfast foods?" Logan taunted as Bagel continued to ignore his trainer. "Golduck, use Water Pulse."

"_Goooolduuuck_!"

Golduck raised his hands as a large ball of air and water formed. He shot the ball at Bagel, who was too focused on Charizard. Bagel's expression shifted from chaotic to hopelessly confused as he began shooting Hyper Beams everywhere. Logan just shook his head and he knew it was time to end it. The pill he had taken had helped him completely push his sympathies for the Pokémon out of his head. The Salamence was just winning the battle for him by tiring himself out.

"Hydro Pump and Flare Blitz," Logan ordered in a strangely calm tone. "Maximum Power."

Golduck leaped off of Charizard's back and shot the torrent of water as Charizard quickly flew behind the confused Salamence and coated herself in a burning red-orange flame. She shot at Bagel the second that the Hydro Pump made contact with the dragon Pokémon causing a large explosion in the air as Golduck landed by his trainer's side and began putting out the flames on the trees in order to prevent a forest fire. Logan would make sure to thank him for that. He didn't want to be known as the guy who blew up Mt. Moon _and_ burned down Ilex Forest. Bagel came out of the dust, spiraling down towards the forest floor. He landed in front of his trainer as Logan recalled both of his Pokémon.

"Good job guys," he said to the two Poké Balls in his hand. He turned his attention to Sadie who was just staring at him in disbelief. His first instinct was to hold out his hand, but Sadie had obviously read his thoughts. She shook her head and frowned at him.

"Lucky…" she muttered as she reached in her pocket and handed him the blade.

"Look, I don't want to take your stuff," Logan stated. "I'm not like you and I don't want to be like you."

Sadie simply grinned and refused to take the knife back. "We had a deal. I couldn't win or cheat, so that's how it is. I still can't believe I lost to an…emo. It was a fluke and next time we battle, I swear, I'm going to kick your ass." She kicked her shoes off and reached at the bottom of her tanktop. "Enjoy the show because this is the closest you'll ever get to me."

"As if I'd ever want to even see you again much less get 'close' to you."

"Whatever." She pulled her tanktop over her head and peeled her shorts off before tossing her outfit to Logan, leaving her in a pair of black and red bra and panties. "Lilly, let's get out of here. Listen, Emo Boy, next time we meet, you're done for."

"Yeah right, troll. I just showed you how we do things at Louhearst. Logan Martin, bitch…"

* * *

**AN: This is currently the longest chapter that I've ever written, so hopefully this is a good New Years present for you guys. I know there's a lot going on, but lately I've been dividing chapters into four parts. There's usually a Logan plot, a Jett plot, a Rietta plot, and a fourth plot. This way I can include more characters, but I do realize that it can get confusing at times, but next chapter is all taking place at one location. Speaking of next chapter...**

**There's a MAJOR surprise ending next chapter that I don't think anyone will see coming, so I'm letting you guys know right away to expect something you never expected would happen.**

**Also, if you want to read some funny commentary jokes then check out my brother's reviews at the thread called 'Sebastian's Corner' on the forums.**

**Later!**


	12. Garden of Fate

**A/N: PLEASE READ! **

**Okay guys, this is a very special chapter and I was literally in tears as I wrote it. This chapter is a very _strong _T-rating and there _won't _be an author's note at the end. This is a very intense chapter, so don't be fooled by the fact that it starts off light. This is one of the darkest chapters I've ever written and it's going to change the ENTIRE landscape of the story. Unfortunately, one character faces something that we'll all have to face one day. I'm guessing you guys know what I'm talking about. This character is very close to my heart even though its someone else's OC and its very hard for me to let them go. I want to thank the person who sent in this OC last year. I can't reveal who the creator is until next chapter and I hope they aren't too mad at me. If you guys want to discuss the chapter or why I chose to do this or anything else, please feel free to go to my forums or send me a PM. **

* * *

**Louhearst vs. Seathroul**

**Special Chapter: Garden of Fate**

Things had been peaceful between Louhearst and Seathroul in Azalea after the first day. Duncan Mendoza's sister had taken him out of Seathroul and he had been sent to Throuleas, another academy that was similar to a military school and as far as anyone was concerned, Louhearst had technically 'won' the war between the two academies. With Duncan gone, the animosity had seemingly ended. As the expedition prepared to move towards Goldenrod, it seemed that the students were in high spirits.

"_Here's the spot_…"

Logan led the group of second years into Ilex Forest and stopped as a grin formed on his face. "As you can see from Rus's video, this is the exact spot where that troll's Salamence fell. Think of it as an early birthday present to myself."

"Damn, Logan," Jett said as he finished watching the video. "You were an absolute monster, then Ethan beat Mendoza in that brawl at Seathroul, and now I have my guitar. Man, we are on fire! Plus, your birthday is tomorrow. We should celebrate."

"We can hang out in the department store in Goldenrod," Rietta suggested. "They have tons of fun stuff to do. Hey, we can hang out at my house after we're done."

"No thanks," Jett scoffed. "Your dad already hates me and today's Friday which means that I want to have fun before the tournament begins on Monday and that does not include being harassed."

"Well, your dad hates me!" Rietta countered.

Jett shook his head. "My dad only says what he says because your dad starts it. Plus, whenever we were on the webcam this summer and my dad came in my room and said something about you, I defended you. When your dad said something about me, you just sat there and let him drill me over a bunch of nonsense."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Rietta replied. "My parents are gone to Saffron to visit some of our relatives and they won't be back until Monday and I don't even know where my sister is."

"Wait…" Z.K. said as she approached the trio with the second year girls. "Your parents are gone until Monday and you have the house all to yourself. I've seen your room on Logan's webcam and it's pretty sweet, so I'm guessing the rest of your house is. How many rooms do you have?"

"Six," Rietta answered. "Eight if you include the basement and attic. Why?"

"_Paaaaaarty_!" Z.K. and Becca shouted in unison.

"Absolutely _not_," Rietta said quickly. "My parents told me that if I went home any time during this weekend, I had to keep everything in order and in every movie when the teenagers have parties, they tend to get out of order."

"This is real life, Rietta," Z.K. said as she grabbed onto Logan. "And come on, tomorrow is your best friend's birthday. Try to say no to this cute face."

Logan quickly put on a false sad expression and Rietta groaned. "Well…" she started. "I'm not-"

"What if it's just a small get together?" Z.K. interrupted. "It'll just be a few of the second years hanging out."

"I guess that'll be okay," Rietta told her. "But no more than twelve people and everyone will have to keep their Pokémon in their Poké Balls. Now, let's get out of this forest. Bug Pokémon creep me out…"

The group continued towards the exit, but unbeknownst to them, the first year trio had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Mark stopped Asher and Jericho in the middle of the forest as a grin formed on his face. "No," Jericho told him immediately. "They said second years only."

"You got it wrong, my half-albino friend," Mark replied. "I didn't hear the words 'second years only' at all, but I did hear twelve people. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we dropped by. What if I ask Jett?"

"Fine," Jericho said. "But don't tell anyone else about this. Keep it a secret."

Mark nodded his head and grinned. "Secret is my middle name…"

"I thought it was Bartholomew?" Asher said curiously.

"You know what I mean!" Mark snapped. "Seriously guys, I won't tell _anyone_ about the party…"

* * *

Rietta led the group second years into Goldenrod City Department Store and for the most part, they were all amazed. Almost immediately, everyone dashed in different directions. Rus led a few of the boys to the arcade while Becca led some of the girls into the various department stores.

"Hey guys," Ethan said to Logan and Jett. "I'm about to head out. Ronnie is taking Joey to see some of her family later on and she wants to take him to National Park for a bit, so I'm going with them. She's not going to be at the party tonight and Lyra has a cold, so she's not going to be there either. You guys know I'm still up for it, though. Text me the directions to Rietta's house when you guys get there."

"Alright," Jett told him. "But before you leave, remember that tomorrow is Logan's birthday, so that means JEL has to go all out tonight. It's just a small get together, but we still need to party hard. Damn, we need to come up with like a JEL three-way handshake. Ethan, think of one while you're at the park."

"Got it," Ethan said as he walked towards the door. "Catch you guys later."

Logan and Jett watched as he disappeared through the sliding doors and the second that they were sure he was out of earshot, they turned to one another.

"Dude, I need to talk to you," they said in unison.

"You first," Logan told Jett.

"Well, I really want to invite Sonia to the party," he said. "But Rietta's so damn hateful, that she definitely would say no. Damn, I need Z.K. She's the only one who can help with stuff like this."

"Hmm," Logan started. "Rietta's actually been a lot nicer today. I think it's because we're in her hometown, so she might let you. Still, you'd probably need Z.K. to help you convince her."

Jett nodded his head in agreement. "So, what's the deal with you?"

"Well…" he began. "Tomorrow's my birthday and I want to _celebrate_ tonight, if you catch my drift."

Jett arched an eyebrow at him before he realized what Logan was talking about. His emerald green eyes widened as a grin formed on his face. "Man, you are on fire. Making a chick strip in Ilex Forest and now you're trying to go all the way. No problem, I'm sure Z.K. or Becca or better yet, Z.K. _and_ Becca won't mind helping you out with that. They're very _generous_ girls after all."

"Actually, I don't want them. It'd be way too easy. I kind of want a challenge."

"Man, you have gotten a big head since we beat Seathroul, but I'm with you. Now who are you going to try to seduce with your emo love magic?"

"I was thinking that it should be Emma tonight and if I'm lucky, Roux tomorrow night."

Jett burst out laughing as he thumped his friend on the head. "Good luck with the impossible. You might have a chance for Roux if I put in a good word for you, but Emma? Yeah, right. What are you going to do, write her a poem about how life sucks and she's the only one who matters?"

"An emo joke," Logan said sarcastically. "You are so hilarious. Anyway, I'll see you in a bit."

Jett went over to Rietta and Z.K. as Logan made his way down the department store. The Poké Mart back in Viridian City paled in comparison to the large department store. As he stepped into the elevator, he thought about his conversation with Jett and realized that he was right. He had become arrogant ever since he had defeated Sadie in that battle a month earlier and with Seathroul technically losing the war against Louhearst, he felt even more confident heading into the tournament and he was glad that it was being held in Goldenrod. He had been planning on getting a car for months and Goldenrod City was the best place in Johto to find a cheap one. However, he realized that a car would definitely boost his ego and that he needed to find some way to keep his arrogance in check, but he wouldn't worry about that until later. Tonight, he was going all out. The elevator stopped and he found himself on the roof of the department store. He let Mawile out of her Poké Ball and she quickly hopped on his shoulders.

"Alright, Mawile, I'm going to need you to help me."

"_Maaawiile_!"

She smiled and nodded her head, giving Logan a sign that she was fully cooperating with him. He stepped further out and stopped when he saw Emma overlooking the city down below. Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Logan began creeping up behind her.

"Guess who?" he said as he put his hands over her eyes.

"Well you smell like cinnamon mixed with the smell of _Cold Shoulder_ clothing, so I'm going to guess its Logan."

Logan removed his hands and sniffed himself. "Damn, you're right. So, you came to the roof instead of shopping?"

"Well, I live on a farm," Emma replied. "Money's not exactly splendid if you know what I mean."

"I totally understand. My Mom grows her food too, but that's probably because she's a hip-I mean environmentalist. So, what have you been up to? We haven't really talked in a while."

"Nothing much," she answered. "Jett's been helping me hook up Jerry and Sarah, I helped Jewel win the preliminaries for her beauty pageant back in Azalea, and me and Roux have been hanging out." She paused for a second and shifted her vision to the ground below. "I can see why you like her so much."

"Yeah, but there's a lot of reasons why I like you. Are you coming to the get together at Rietta's house?"

She nodded her head. "Tomorrow's your birthday. What better way to have fun then to spend time with your friends? I'll definitely be there."

"Cool. I think we could, you know, spend some one-on-one time just hanging out…"

* * *

"It's easy," Z.K. whispered to Jett as they walked a few feet behind Rietta. "We just need to get her a guy for the party. If we do that, she won't care about you bringing a girl to the party."

"How?" Jett asked. "She hates everyone and most people generally don't like to be around-"

"_Rietta?"_

They looked up to see two boys approaching Rietta. Jett recognized the first one from Emma's peace summit for Seathroul back in Violet City. He had brown eyes and medium brown skin with straight black hair. The second boy had short curly brown hair and kind brown eyes with fair skin.

"Hi, Cody…" she greeted to the second boy. "Jett, Z.K., this is Cody. He was on the Louhearst tour."

"Hey…" Jett and Z.K. greeted in unison.

"Nice to meet you guys," he said as he gestured to my friend. "I think you guys met my pal, Jahmil back in Violet City."

"Yeah, I remember him," Jett replied. "He was at the peace summit."

Cody nodded his head and turned his attention back to Rietta. "So, what are you guys doing here?"

"Rietta's just showing us around the store," Z.K. answered. "She's from Goldenrod."

"Wow, you are so lucky. This place is awesome."

"Thanks…" Rietta said as a slight smile formed on her face.

Jett noticed the smile and instantly a light bulb went off in his head. He grinned as he elbowed Z.K. She stared at him in confusion as he pointed at Cody. It took her a few seconds before she realized what he was referring to.

"Rietta," Z.K. suddenly said. "I'm hungry. Can you go get me a pretzel or something from the food court?"

Rietta frowned at her and pointed to her left. "It's right over there. Why can't you go get it yourself?"

"I could do that, but walking all the way over there and walking all the way back would tire me out and I get _really_ angry when I'm tired out. I'd really hate it if I ended up kicking someone's pale ass for not going to get me a damn pretzel after I asked her nicely!"

She moved closer to Rietta and glared into her eyes. Rietta sighed and nodded her head. The last thing she wanted to do was get her teeth kicked in for something as stupid as a pretzel and Z.K. was even _more_ unreasonable than she was. "I'll be right back," she muttered as she headed for the food court.

"Hey, Cody," Jett said the second he noticed that Rietta was out of earshot. "What do you think about Rietta?"

"She's pretty cool," Cody answered honestly.

"Do you like her?" Z.K. asked curiously.

"Sure."

Jett and Z.K. grinned at one another. "Well," Jett continued. "We're having a small party for my friend Logan at Rietta's house. Do you two want to come?"

"I'm up for it," Jahmil answered. "It'll be a great way to end any lingering hostile feelings about our schools. What do you think, Cody?"

"Yeah, we'll come."

"Cool. Just out of curiosity, do you guys know Sonia Barret?"

Cody and Jahmil nodded their hands. "We're cool with her," Cody explained. "Why?"

"Bring her with you," Jett told him. "But don't let anyone else know about the party and you have to keep your Pokémon in their Poké Balls. We don't want it getting too out of hand."

Rietta walked up and handed the pretzel to Z.K. "You owe me two dollars," she told her.

"I owe you what?" Z.K. questioned as she glared at Rietta. A large grin formed across her face. "An ass kicking? Is that what you said, Rietta, because that's what I heard? I'd be more than happy to pay you right now."

Rietta sighed. "Forget it. It's just two dollars."

"Listen," Jett started. "Cody and Jahmil are coming to the party to end any hostility between Louhearst and Seathroul. Is that cool?"

"Yes," she answered as she looked at Cody. "But don't tell anyone…"

* * *

Rietta led Logan, Jett, Ethan, Roux, Z.K., Emma, and a few more of the second years into her backyard and they were amazed at what they saw. There was a large white gate enclosing the gigantic yard with an east entrance and a west entrance. Inside was an _enormous_ garden covered with a variety of beautiful and colorful flowers. There was a wide concrete path placed in the garden for people and their Pokémon. In the center of the garden, there was a large bird bath and to the far right, a large cherry tree stood overlooking the entire area.

"I usually come in through the east gate," Rietta told them. "The west gate is always hard to open."

"Wow, Rietta," Emma said. "This place is beautiful…"

"Whenever I used to have some sort of problem, I'd always come to the garden to help me take my mind of off things," she explained. "It's like you can escape from all your problems when you're back here…"

After a few more minutes, Rietta decided to show them around her house. The living room was extremely large with two expensive couches with several chairs surrounding the area as well as a large flat screen television. There were luxurious curtains draped over the large windows and the beige colored carpet was spotless. The rest of the house was just as impressive. The rooms were spacious and extremely neat and there was even a skylight in the attic.

"Okay," Jett started. "I haven't asked this because I hate your dad, but what exactly does he do?"

"He's a businessman," Rietta answered. "And my mom's a doctor."

"Wait," Logan said. "So you're like almost rich?"

"Well," she said. "I'd be lying if I said that we weren't well off, but we're nowhere near Clarke level. Anyway, let me lay down the rules for this little get together..."

Immediately, everyone began tuning Rietta out as she went on and on about what not to do. They were planning on having a good time and they felt that she should at least trust them. After what seemed like forever, the group of second years was ready to start enjoying the night. The sun had set and since there was no curfew for Louhearst on weekends, they had the entire night ahead of them. Jett and Ethan placed a large chocolate cake on the oak table in Rietta's kitchen as Z.K. began lighting the candles. She grabbed onto Logan and pulled him towards the cake as everyone began shouting.

"_Happy Birthday, Logan!" _

"Don't sing!" Logan quickly told them. "Whatever you do, do _not_ sing! You can save that for tomorrow when it's my actual birthday."

"Would you rather us read you a sad and depressing poem?" Jett taunted.

"As soon as I think of a comeback," he told Jett. "Just wait."

"Just make a wish," Rietta said as she pushed him towards the candles.

Logan glanced at Emma and grinned as he blew out the candles. The blonde girl turned red as she made her way to the living room. Roux put on the music and the second years began dancing as Z.K. heard the doorbell ringing. "I bet that's Cody!" she said as she winked at Rietta. Rietta rolled her eyes at her as Z.K. opened the door.

"Nina?" she said looked at the fourth year girl in confusion. Nina smiled at her as she walked in, followed by several more students. "Jeremy? Kaylee? Nikki? Eliza? Blake?" The students kept filing in and Z.K. tried to close the front door, only for it to be reopened by the first year trio.

"Hello beautiful," Mark greeted as he led Jericho and Asher into the party. Z.K. rolled her eyes at him and attempted to close the door once again, but before she could, it was kicked open, almost hitting her in the face. Shane Clarke simply shrugged his shoulders at her as he led the Soul Snakes into the house with a large case of beer in his hands.

"I brought the beer!" Shane shouted. "I would've brought champagne, but I didn't want to make any of you less fortunate people feel out of place!"

"Clarke, what are you doing here!" Rietta said as she looked around her house to see teenagers everywhere. "Who even told you about this? Did you seriously bring alcohol? As a matter of fact, how did you even get it?"

"Relax, Muk-Face," he said as he winked at her. "It's a party. You can't keep a party a secret. I just brought the beer to lighten things up. Arceus knows, you have no idea how to throw a party."

He and the rest of the Soul Snakes made their way into the living room. Rietta's eyes widened as she noticed two more boys entering her house. She immediately could tell that they were a part of the Seathroul gang who started the war. The first one was a tall, handsome and athletic looking boy with light brown eyes, spiked, dark brown hair, and slightly tan skin. The second one was a tall and lanky boy with pale skin and piercing brown eyes. His flaming red hair peeked out of the hood that he always wore on his head as he carried a case of beer in.

"Hold it!" Rietta said firmly as Jett and a few other boys walked up behind her. "Listen, this party is supposed to be private. If you're not friends with Logan, you need to leave."

"That's not an inviting tone," the dark-haired boy said with a cocky grin on his face. "What do you think, Vic?"

"Definitely not an inviting tone," the red-haired boy replied as he turned to Rietta. "Chill, Mackenzie. Zack and I came here to have some fun. That's all."

Jeremy immediately placed his hand on Vic's shoulder and the two upperclassmen glared at one another. "Just letting you two morons know," Jeremy started. "If you're here to cause trouble, don't even think about it."

"Wait a second!" Z.K. yelled as she squeezed in between Jeremy and Vic. "The war between Louhearst and Seathroul is over and the tournament is on Monday. Can we start the peace by at least getting along at this party?"

"One thing and you two are out of here," Jeremy warned as Rietta nodded her head in agreement.

"That's cool," Zack stated as he and Vic headed for the living room. "Think of us as friends…"

The two Seathroul thugs walked passed Rietta and she felt a shiver go up her spine, but she figured if everyone was happy, she didn't have anything to worry about. When Cody, Jahmil, and Sonia finally arrived, Jett quickly walked up to them. "What's the deal?" he told them. "I told you not to tell anyone."

"What are you talking about?" Cody asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Those two psychos, Zack and Vic, are here!"

"What?" Cody said in surprise. "Listen, Jett, we honestly don't know how they found out about this party."

Jett sighed and turned his attention to Sonia. "Well, we told them if they caused any trouble, they were out of here, so the situation is under control. Come on, Cody, let's go find Rietta."

The two boys began searching for the party host through the sea of people, but Shane was the first one to find her. "Hey, Muk-Face," he said as he took a seat on the stool next to her. "I have a present for you."

He reached into his jacket and Rietta gasped as he pulled out a large transparent bottle. He grinned as he handed it to her. "Is that what I think it is?" she questioned as she stared at the bottle. "Clarke, this is illegal. You've already brought beer to the party. You could go to jail."

"It's just a little tequila," he told her. "And I'm rich, so I don't think I need to worry about going to jail. They should be worried about the store owner who sold it to me. Anyway, just have a few sips. It'll help you lighten up and enjoy the party."

He grinned as he stood up and rejoined the dancing teenagers in the living room and Rietta could tell that Shane was either drunk or very close to it. Rietta stared at the bottle for a second before she noticed Jett and Cody approaching her. She quickly stuffed the bottle under her and pretended to be focused on something else.

"Look whose here!" Jett said. "It's Cody!"

Rietta managed to smile. "Hi, Cody," she greeted.

"Hi, Rietta," he greeted back. "You look really pretty tonight."

"Um, thanks…"

"You two kids have fun!" Jett said as he left to rejoin the others.

Rietta and Cody sat in an awkward silence. Z.K. had told Rietta that Cody might've had a small crush on her. She didn't know if she liked him yet, but she could tell that he was a nice person. Still, she didn't want to be rude since she realized that the reason that she was in the Friendship Club in the first place was because of her attitude towards people, but she didn't know how to ease up. She glanced at the bottle under her seat and sighed.

"Stay right here," she told him as she quickly reached down and placed the bottle behind her back. She walked backwards towards one of the bathrooms and locked the door behind her. Rietta stared at the bottle and sighed. "Let's hope this works…"

* * *

"_Rus! Rus! Rus!"_

The party had been going on for a while and Z.K. was struggling to keep control of everything. The music was getting too loud, people were snogging all over the place, and a third of the party-goers were completely drunk. Rus was breakdancing drunk in the center of the large crowd of students. Z.K. started looking for Rietta and found her stumbling around and giggling in the kitchen.

"Can I have a little help?" she asked her. "It is your house!"

"Chill out, Z.K…" Rietta said in a drunken slur as she began giggling. "It's a party!"

"Are you drunk?" Z.K. yelled as she smelled her breath. "Tequila! Where in the hell did you get that?"

"It doesn't matter…" Rietta giggled. "Where's Cody? I want to dance with him!"

Z.K. pointed to the corner where he was seated and Rietta stumbled over towards him. The drunken girl took a seat in the confused boy's lap and Z.K.'s eyes widened when Rietta planted a kiss on his lips. Z.K. immediately began looking for some water as Rietta led Cody to the dance floor.

"You know this shit is getting out of hand when I'm one of the few sober people…" she muttered to herself.

Jett and Sonia took a seat on one of the couches. They had been dancing together the entire night and Jett finally saw his chance to ask Sonia out. "So…" he began. "I've been thinking about you a lot since we've met."

"The feeling's mutual," Sonia said as she smiled back at him.

"Really! That's so great. I was wondering if you'd like to you know, make this official?"

"Are you asking me out?"

Jett nodded his head. "A lot of girls have taken a ride on The Jett, but they were only good enough for coach. You'll be flying first class all the way."

"First class?"

Jett nodded his head once more as he took a drink. Sonia grinned and moved closer to him. "Nah," she whispered seductively. "I'd rather ride in the _cockpit_…" She winked at him and Jett's eyes widened as he spit out his drink.

"That was the hottest thing any chick has ever said!"

She stood up and grabbed his hand. "It's about to get hotter…"

Jett flashed a huge grin at Logan as he and Sonia passed him and headed towards the entrance to the basement. Logan let out a laugh as he went searching for Emma. He passed the first year trio, who were flirting with Becca.

"If you want to take a ride some time," Mark told her. "I'm getting my dad's car as soon as I turn sixteen next year."

"Baby, do you even have the training wheels off of your bike?" Becca taunted.

Logan laughed and continued forward. He had been drinking a bit, but compared to the others, he was pretty sober. He found Emma near the stairs, overlooking the party. "Having fun?" he asked her.

"I am now," she said as she smiled at him.

"Can we talk?" Logan said as he gently grabbed her hand. "Privately…"

He led her upstairs as the party-goers continued their fun. However, things were getting even more chaotic. The sound of glass shattering was heard and everyone stopped to see what had happened. Zack and Vic high-fived each other as the crowd discovered the broken window. The two Seathroul thugs had thrown one of the chairs through it and it was obvious they were both drunk. Jeremy and Blake immediately went into action as Shane opened the front door.

"That's it!" Blake yelled as he slammed Zack against the wall. "It's time for you two to hit the road."

"Chill out, dude!" Zack told him. "It's a party! Things get broken!"

"And people get kicked out!" Jeremy countered as he grabbed on to Vic. "Sayonara!"

"Get your hands off me!" Zack shouted as he and Vic were shoved out of the front door. "Big mistake!"

"You'll regret this, Louhearst!" Vic threatened.

Shane simply smirked at the two boys and closed the door behind them as the crowd cheered for him, Jeremy, and Blake…

"_Clarke! Clarke! Clarke!"_

* * *

Logan led Emma into one of the guest rooms and the two took a seat on the bed. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until out of nowhere, Logan gave Emma a kiss on the lips. She stared at him in confusion, but she didn't say anything. He kissed her again and after a moment of hesitation, she took off her jean jacket and kissed him back. The two quickly began making out, their tongues swirling around in each other's mouths. Logan broke the kiss and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. When he started trailing kisses down her neck, Emma decided that things were going too far.

"Wait," she said as she moved away from him. "This isn't right. I don't think we should be doing this if we're not going out."

"I don't see a problem with it," Logan told her.

"Well, I do. We shouldn't even be kissing if we aren't dating and what's the deal with you today? You broke up with me and now you're kissing me."

"Look…"

He stopped and shifted his gaze to the floor below him. Emma's confused expression quickly turned into a frown as she figured out what Logan was up to. "I can't believe you…" she told him, her voice full of hurt. "You were just using me to get a birthday screw! After everything we've been through together, you try to pull something like this. What happened to you? Last year, you were the sweetest boy on the planet, but now you're just a jerk!"

"And what happened when I was nice!" Logan shouted. "You tell me because everything I remembered sucked! I got shit thrown at me by Shane Clarke every day, I got blamed for blowing up Mt. Moon, I saw my friend get killed by some psycho terrorist group, my mom was shot, and my best friend almost died of poison! When I changed my attitude, I got a good job, I got on good terms with Clarke, I have more friends, and I'm not getting walked all over. No one cared about me last year!"

"I did!" Emma yelled as she stood up and quickly went out of the room and down the stairs. Logan followed her, pushing the random party-goers out of his way, and stopped her at the front door.

"Listen," he tried to explain. "I have too much going on to be dealing with a girlfriend. If all this wasn't going on-"

"Let me ask you something," she interrupted. "Do you love me?"

The question caught Logan off guard. "Um…"

"Do you love Roux?" she questioned.

"I-"

"Do you love either of us?"

Logan sighed. "I care about you a lot, but-"

"But you don't love me?"

"No, it's not that. It's just-"

Emma shook her head. "You know what, you don't even have to explain. If I had a birthday wish, I'd wish for the old Logan back."

"Guess what, he's not coming back, so you might as well deal with the new Logan."

"Well, I have two words for the 'new' Logan," Emma replied, the anger in her voice at its most absolute level. "Fuck you!"

She opened the front door and walked out, slamming it behind her. Logan buried his face in his hands as he took a seat on one of the empty couches. He realized that his plan was not only stupid, but it was extremely hurtful. He wanted to punch himself in the face and he knew Jett was right about his attitude. He had gotten arrogant and he was no better than Sadie Yanes or even the Soul Destroyers. Logan finally understood that getting back together with Emma wouldn't be too hard to handle. With everything else going on, having a girlfriend could actually make things better and convince him to lighten up like the 'old' Logan would do. He came to the conclusion that as long as he was at Louhearst under Dean Horace, he was safe. After a few minutes, he was joined by Jett and Shane, both boys coming from opposite ends of the house. He noticed that Shane had Emma's jacket in his hands.

"I saw what went down," Shane told him.

"What went down?" Jett asked curiously. "I've been pretty…busy."

Logan sighed. "It's nothing. Me and Emma got in this huge fight. I want to go apologize, but there's no way she'll accept it."

"Sure she will," Jett told him. "She's Emma, the most forgiving person on the planet. Give her a few minutes to cool off and then go look for her."

"I'll even help you," Shane told him. "She left her jacket and her Poké Balls are in it, so she's not going to leave. We'll go outside in a few minutes and I'll help you out with your apology."

Logan could tell that Shane was being sincere and he wondered what kind of conversation he could have had with the Elder Sage that made him start being nicer. "Thank you…"

* * *

Emma made her way to the back of the large house. The moon was shining brightly and the loud music could be heard from outside. She checked the time on her watch. It was midnight and part of her wanted to go back in the house to wish Logan a happy birthday, but she was too hurt. The blonde girl made her way into the garden through the east gate and closed it behind her. She hoped that the beautiful sight of the flowers would help her feel better. However, this was not the case.

"What happened?" she said to herself in shock as she looked around the garden.

The beautiful flowers had been trampled on, the bird bath had been knocked over and smashed into pieces, and the entire garden looked like a tornado had hit it. It was the exact opposite of what she had seen just hours ago.

"_Niiii_…"

"_Sheeeedii_…"

A Ninjask and a Shedinja sped past her and over to the cherry tree where she saw two figures leaning against it. Her eyes widened as Zack and Vic recalled their Pokémon and approached her. "I should've known it was you two!" she shouted.

"Look who it is," Zack taunted. "It's the cowgirl who slapped Duncan. What's wrong? Your emo boyfriend not good in bed." He smirked and grabbed onto his belt. "I have something you can ride, cowgirl. Ask that slut, Ronnie, and she'll tell you about it! I'm a stallion, baby!"

The two boys began making horse sounds and continued their lewd comments. Emma could tell that they were drunk and decided to just ignore them. She headed for the nearest gate trying to tune out the two thugs.

"Hey bitch, we're talking to you!" Vic shouted.

"Hey, Miltank!" Zack added. "Turn back around so we can see those amazing udders!"

The two boys high-fived one another as Emma's face turned red in anger. She turned around and marched up to them. "Listen, I don't have time to deal with you two jerks." She turned to Zack. "Instead of making fun of me, you should be out getting a job to help support your son that you're making poor Ronnie raise all alone. What kind of man ditches a girl after she gets pregnant with his child?" She turned to Vic. "And you need to get a personality transplant, see a therapist, and maybe see a dentist. This conversation is over…"

"Ooh, the hick's getting all brave!" Zack taunted as he and Vic turned in the opposite direction. "Come on, let's get out of here…"

The two boys headed towards the east gate and Emma shook her head in disgust. "Losers…" she muttered as she turned her back to them and began trying to open the west gate.

Vic suddenly stopped and allowed Zack to pass him. Not only was he drunk, but he was extremely angry for being thrown out of the party and now he was being trashed by the same girl who started the war in the first place. Duncan had been sent to military school and Vic immediately wrote him off as weak for how he dealt with the situation. The red-haired thug felt his anger boiling. "You know what, cowgirl…" he whispered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black handle. He flicked his wrist and there was a quick clicking noise as the six-inch blade emerged from the black handle. "It's about time someone shut you up!"

Zack whirled around as Vic sprinted at the blonde girl, the knife grasped firmly in his hand. The moment that Emma managed to get the west gate open, her ocean blue eyes widened in shock as she felt the blade being driven into her back. As Vic backed up with the knife, he and Zack looked on in horror as Emma's pink camisole was stained crimson with blood.

"Vic…" Zack said as his eyes widened in utter shock. "What did you do…?"

They watched as the girl began struggling to breathe, blood pouring out from her mouth and back. Emma slid to the ground against the gate, staining the white canvas red with blood. Vic froze for a moment. He couldn't believe where his anger had taken him. He ran past Zack and bolted out of the gate. Zack took one last look at the girl who was dying before his very eyes before running after his friend. The two boys ran past the Vella Cousins who stared at them as they disappeared into the night.

"Clarke?" Logan said as he arched an eyebrow. "Was that a…knife in Vic's hand?"

He didn't get an answer. Logan turned to Shane and was surprised to see that his face was twisted in horror and his skin had become pale. He slowly lifted a finger and pointed to the garden where the two boys noticed a figure crumpled up against the gate. They ran inside the garden and Logan was horrified to see Emma lying there. Her skin had gone extremely pale, her blue eyes were staring off into space, and her shirt was covered in blood. He knelt down beside her and had to keep himself from screaming as he noticed the stab wound in her back.

"Come on, Emma!" he shrieked as he attempted to hold her head up straight, only for it to fall back down again. He held her tight as tears streamed from his face. She wasn't responding at all and he knew this was worse than Rietta when she had been poisoned. Shane immediately began panicking as he whipped out his cell phone and started punching numbers.

"This is Shane Clarke!" he yelled into the phone. "I'm on 214 Ashbury Street. Send an ambulance, quick! A girl's been stabbed!"

* * *

Sonia nervously ran her hands through her hair as she, Cody, Jahmil, Logan and Shane stood outside of Goldenrod Hospital with two police officers. "Vic Lawson and Zack Winters," the girl told the police.

"They're both Seathroul students," Cody said. "And they're known for getting into a lot of trouble."

"Vic has red hair, brown eyes, and his skin is pretty pale," Jahmil told them. "He usually keeps his hood on his head though. Zack has spiked brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin."

The police officer wrote down the information as his partner turned to Logan and Shane. "Did either of you see which one committed the offense?"

"No," Shane answered. "But Lawson had the knife when he and Winters ran past us. We're pretty sure it was Lawson…"

The officers nodded their heads and the two of them walked towards their car. "Logan, I am so sorry!" Sonia told him, trying to fight back her tears. "Please let us know how Emma's doing…"

He nodded his head as the three Seathroul students made their way towards Sonia's car. "Listen, Martin," Shane started. "Jewel told me that Louhearst is on lockdown, so as you soon as you and the others finish up here, you have to get back to the school. Um, if you need anything…"

Logan simply nodded his head as Shane walked off. He couldn't understand how Emma would make Vic mad enough for him to stab her. He had her rumors that Vic Lawson was a 'psycho' but he didn't know that he would take things as far as he did. Logan sighed to himself as he slowly made his way into the hospital to see Jett, Rietta, Ethan, Roux, and Z.K. in the waiting room.

"This is all my fault!" Z.K. cried as Jett attempted to comfort her. "I shouldn't of let the party get so out of hand!"

"Yes…" Rietta said into the hospital phone. "They broke a window, destroyed the garden, and Emma's hurt. She was stabbed! Dad, I'm so sorry. Okay, I'll see you when you get here…"

She hung up the phone and rejoined the group. Logan looked down at his hands only to see them covered in Emma's blood. He began breathing heavily as he rushed into a nearby bathroom. The other five comforted one another as one of the doctors approached them. They all stood up as he stopped.

"Is she going to be okay?" Roux asked him.

The doctor sighed as he managed to put on a straight face. "I…I need to speak with a family member immediately."

"Well her parents are on their way," Jett told him. "They'll be here in a bit."

"Wait," Ethan interjected as he walked in front. "I'm her…brother. Does that count?"

The doctor nodded his head and sighed once again. "The blade pierced your sister's lung and caused severe internal and external hemorrhaging. We tried to contain the bleeding, we tried to revive her, we tried everything, but the damage was too great. She didn't make it…"

"You're kidding, right?" Ethan said in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry, young man," the doctor replied. He was used to giving out bad news, but he knew it wouldn't be long before his voice began cracking. "There was nothing more we could do…"

The doctor walked away and the five students stood there in total shock as Logan walked up to them. "What's the news?" he asked. "Is she going to be okay?"

Ethan shook his head angrily as he grabbed his hat and threw it onto the ground. Tears streamed down his face as he wrapped his arms around Logan. Logan looked at his friends. Roux and Rietta's eyes were still widened in shock, Jett's eyes were watering, and Z.K. was sobbing lightly.

"No…" Logan whispered in total disbelief.

He held onto Ethan as Jett and Rietta wrapped their arms around them. Roux and Z.K. joined them and the six students embraced on another in a tear-filled hug for the loss of their friend. They couldn't believe that a school rivalry could end up going as far as it did. The war with Seathroul had claimed a life…


	13. Death of an Angel

**Death of an Angel**

"_Good afternoon. I'm Larry Pole and this is my co-anchor, Wendy Agnes. Welcome to Nation News."_

"_Today is a special broadcast. Our top story tonight is the murder of a teenage girl. According to our sources, the girl was stabbed and subsequently killed at an out of control party outside a friend's home."_

"_Apparently, the girl had been at the center of an intense conflict with a gang of students from a rival school. Our sources say that several students have been involved in the extreme rivalry between the two schools for the past three months. It is believed that this rivalry played a key part in the girl's murder."_

"_The suspect who committed the offense has been confirmed as a student from the rival school. The student has also been confirmed as being a member of the gang that started the war between the schools. More on this later…"_

* * *

With the death of a Louhearst Academy student at the hands of a Seathroul Academy student, the four academies under James Everston were under fire from citizens across the nation specifically Seathroul. The school already had a reputation for its low attendance, low test scores, and criminal students, but the latest event had pushed things over the edge and the government had decided to step in. The Head of the Nation had ordered a meeting with Everston and the four deans of Louhearst, Seathroul, Throuleas, and Eastluroh. The Head made sure that Agents Jones, Quentin, and Stuckerland were all present as well.

"I don't even know where to begin…" the Head said as he walked towards the large window in his office. "I am extremely furious. A student was _murdered_ by another student. This is unacceptable and I've had it with Seathroul."

"What do you want me to do?" Nathan Polk asked. He was the newest Dean of Seathroul and already he found himself unable to control any of the students. "I have four hundred students and a third of them-"

"Are juvenile delinquents!" Stuckerland interrupted. "If you ask me, Seathroul should be shut down. It has done nothing to improve its reputation in several years and thirty-three percent of them should just be thrown in jail where they belong. I say you should just get rid of Seathroul, send half of the students to Louhearst and send the other half to Eastluroh. Their only other options would be to go to Throuleas or drop out."

The Head arched an eyebrow before turning to Horace. "Mr. Horace. What do you think?"

"Louhearst is constantly under the threat of the Soul Destroyers as long as I'm there," Horace answered. He glared at Stuckerland. "No matter how much you try to cover it up, they're still out there. However, sending the majority of the Seathroul students to Eastluroh would be completely unfair as would forcing them to go to a military school. If you choose to shut down Seathroul, then I will take a short leave and appoint Professor Penny Pine as the dean. A student of mine was murdered and I have a feeling that if I stay right now, things will only get worse. I will return when things calm down."

The Head nodded and turned to Everston. "It is decided. Seathroul will be shut down. Half of the students will be transferred to Louhearst and the other half will be transferred to Eastluroh and their only other choices will be to go to Throuleas or drop out…"

* * *

With the sun shining brightly and no clouds in the sky, it seemed that the day was entirely too beautiful to have a funeral which made most of the attendants feel even worse. Jett looked around and was shocked at how many people had come to pay their respects for Emma. He remembered how her senseless death had sent the entire nation up in arms. All four expedition academies had been shut down for a few weeks and the students had to return home. Jett remembered how Shane had rushed into Rietta's house that fateful night to tell them the horrible news, he remembered everyone in the house rushing outside to Rietta's garden just in time to see the ambulance arriving, and he remembered how the doctor told them that there was nothing more they could do. Worse of all, he remembered seeing the stab wound which brought back haunting memories of his own past.

"If I could just get my hands on the guy who did this…" he muttered to himself.

"He's in jail, Jett," Roux said as she gently touched his arm. "Look at all these people crying and sad. Emma would hate this."

He nodded his head in agreement before looking around as the funeral ended. He saw Emma's family talking to the minister with her Pokémon, Shane Clarke and his friends were in the back row, Rietta was sitting with her parents, Ethan and Ronnie were trying their best to comfort a hysterical Lyra, and Z.K. and Becca were consoling one another. A few of the attendants had started leaving and Jett realized that the memorial would be held the later that day at the Cherrygrove Louhearst which meant that the grief was far from over.

"Logan…"

Jett looked around for his friend only to see him sitting closest to the exit. He hadn't said much to anyone and Z.K. had told him that Logan had been in extensive therapy for the last few days. Every student who attended the party was required to go to the counselor within Louhearst, but Logan's parents had taken him to another therapist after that. If there was one thing Jett knew, it was that Logan hated being considered 'crazy' by any means. With two deaths being associated with him, the name 'Bad Luck Logan' had started spreading through the students of the four academies.

"Man, this is so messed up…"

He had talked to his brother about how Sarah was doing and Jerry could only shake his head. The Mitchell brothers knew first-hand that losing a close family member to murder was possibly the worse way to lose someone. Jett didn't even ask about her parents. Emma's mother had two breakdowns during the course of the funeral and Jett could only wonder what was going through Vic Lawson's head when he pulled out the knife. He tried to tune out the conversation that Emma's family was having with the minister, but it was to no avail.

"T-Thank you," he could hear Emma's mother say to the minister. "It was a beautiful service. Emma was such a sweet girl. I just…I don't know why anyone would want to hurt her…"

Jett stood up and headed for the exit. He didn't want to hear any more of it. He approached Logan as Rietta joined them. Logan simply glanced at them before standing up. "Listen," he started as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills. He had been prescribed some type of drug that would help him 'feel better' in the words of the therapist. He knew what the therapist was trying to say. He was crazy and the therapist along with the rest of the world knew it. "I don't want to talk. Just…leave me alone."

"Wait," Rietta said. "I just thought-"

"I don't want to talk," Logan interrupted as he swallowed a pill. "What part of that didn't you understand? I'll see you guys at the memorial…"

Jett and Rietta followed Logan out and he felt his anger tensing up. He wanted them to get away from him, but they wouldn't listen. Before he could turn around to face them, the three of them were swarmed by reporters. Most of them went straight for Rietta.

"_Henrietta Mackenzie. Is it true that the out of control party was held at your home?"_

"Yes, but_-"_

"_Henrietta Mackenzie, is it true that your negligence was the primary cause for the death of Emma Jacobs?"_

"No, I-"

"_Is it true that your parents allowed you to have a party with underage drinking?"_

"No, they didn't know anything about it!"

The questions went on and on as the three of them rushed to get away from the swarming reporters…

* * *

"_Zachary Winters, Dr. King will see you now_…"

Zack glanced at his sister before standing up. Serena had been the only one to come with him to therapy, but he didn't care. He didn't even want to be there, but the judge had required it and he knew it was better than rotting in a jail cell with Vic. Dr. King's assistant led Zack to the back room and told him that the doctor would arrive in a few minutes. He frowned as he looked around the room. The walls were a plain brown color and were covered with pictures of Pokémon, mostly being from the Slowpoke line, along with several diplomas and certificates. The carpet was a lighter brown with the couch being a dark blue and the doctor's desk being made of oak.

"Ugh…" he said to himself. "This is so stupid. I didn't do it, so I shouldn't even have to be in here…" He relaxed on the couch and waited for the doctor. It was comfortable enough for him to slip into a light daze.

"_Good evening, I'm Dr. King_. _You must be Zachary_."

"I just go by Zack," he said as he turned to face the doctor. "And…"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he got a good look at the doctor. To his amazement, the doctor was not even human, but a Slowking. He had to keep himself from laughing as the doctor took a seat. "Feel free to laugh," Dr. King told him kindly. "Most of my patients tend to laugh on their first visit here. I can understand. Most people wouldn't expect a Pokémon to be a therapist."

"Okay, I knew psychic types were smart, but did you really graduate from Namus? That's the top school in the world."

Dr. King nodded his head. "So, you've heard of Namus? Not surprising. I reviewed your grades and they are extraordinary…when you actually do your work. However, we'll get to that in a moment. Tell me about that night and the events leading up to it..."

Zack sighed as he let his mind wander back to the beginning of the year. "My friend Duncan went to this back-to-school party that the Louhearst Academy was throwing. He ran into my ex-girlfriend, Veronica Ventura, and I guess he started trashing Ronnie for some reason. I don't blame him since she's a dumb slut anyway. Apparently this Emma Jacobs girl decides to stick her nose where it doesn't belong and she ends up slapping Duncan in front of everyone. So, he comes back to Seathroul all pissed and wanting to start a war with Louhearst."

"Hmm…" the doctor said as he continued writing down information. "How did you feel about that?"

"Look, I was only in the war because I wanted to put on a show for people. I think Duncan, Percy, and Tifatillah were on the same page as me and Vic…well, I don't know about him, but I didn't actually want anyone to get killed."

"It was all about your reputation? Before we get back to your story, I want to ask you something. How did you feel about the other students that attended your school?"

"Them?" Zack scoffed. "They pretended like they cared about everyone and knew what was best for the school especially Justin McShan and Derek Quinn. McShan's a total hypocrite, but people don't care that he does drugs and commits crimes just like us, as long as he's on the 'good' side. Then there's Quinn. Douchebag Derek Quinn. We should've jumped this guy back at Seathroul when we had the chance to get away with it. He talks a lot of trash, starts a lot of drama, and he's just irritating as hell. He's worse than McShan and I should've just kicked his teeth in."

The doctor watched as his patient clenched his fists in anger. "Well, people have a tendency to judge others when they don't want to confront themselves. We'll talk about that as well. You may continue your story."

"Well, the next day, me, Duncan, and two of our other friends went looking for some guy who was friends with Emma. I had my sister, Serena, set him up and after she and Ninjask led him to an alley, we beat the crap out of him while Melvin recorded it. After that, word got around Seathroul about the war and of course, McShan and Quinn, had to get involved with their lame peace declarations. They didn't care about any of that, though. They just knew I was involved and anything that I do, they have to play 'heroes' and try to stop me. I didn't care though, so things were a bit peaceful for a little while until Duncan and that guy we jumped got in a fight at Seathroul when the expeditions were in Azalea Town. After that, Duncan's sister sent him to military school and we saw a video where some Louhearst emo kid beat the holy hell out of Shady Sadie in a battle. With all that, the war was pretty much over and Louhearst had technically won the war."

"I see. I believe that the party took place after this?"

Zack nodded his head. "I was so wasted that night. Vic and I overheard some kids talking about a party at Henrietta Mackenzie's place and we heard that it was supposed to be pretty awesome, so we decided to crash. We got our hands on some beer and we just rolled in Mackenzie's house. The second we stepped in, everyone was already on our case, but they let us stay."

"And that's when things got worse?"

"I mean, everything was fine for the first few hours, but after that, over half of the people at the party were drunk. Vic and I ended up throwing a freakin' chair through a window. There was other people breaking stuff too, but of course, since we're the 'bad' guys, we got thrown out by that asshole, Jeremy Lynche."

"And you wanted revenge?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you can say that. Like I said, we were drunk, so we decided to trash Mackenzie's garden with our Pokémon. That's when Emma came and we started an argument with her, but it was after midnight and I was tired. Me and Vic started to walk off and I guess Emma muttered something under her breath because Vic stopped. I wasn't really paying attention to him, so I just kept walking. When I turned around, he was already halfway across the yard with the knife in his hand and that's…"

He shuddered as the doctor finished writing down the information. "That's when you…"

"That's when I saw that nasty, bloody stab wound. Emma collapsed and there was blood everywhere. Vic took off running and I just stood there for a second. I didn't know what to do, so I just ran after Vic. We passed Martin and Clarke and I heard Martin screaming a few seconds later."

"Was there anything else that happened before you two were arrested?"

"Vic and I got in a fight before we decided to split up. I called Percy and Tifatillah to let them know what was going on, but it was all a waste. The cops caught Vic within an hour and they came after me next. They told us that Emma girl had died and that Vic was being charged with second-degree murder and now I'm here talking to a Slowking…"

The doctor ignored the last part of the sentence and began shifting through his papers. "According to this document, you were spared any prison time because your back had been turned when the offense had been committed. However, you've been court ordered to receive therapy and help take care of your son, Joey Ventura, if you wish to stay out of prison. How do you feel about that?"

"You mean, my kid?" Zack questioned. "I don't have anything against him. It's not his fault for being born. It's just that everyone pinned Ronnie's pregnancy on me, so that's why I didn't claim the kid. I was pissed that everyone was making Ronnie out to be this perfect little angel who was taken advantage of, but it doesn't matter. Joey is my son and I'll do whatever I can to make sure he has what he needs, but I'm not associating myself with Ronnie at all."

"I see there are some lingering hostility between you and Veronica, but we'll talk about that on your next visit. Now, your grades are remarkable, but that's only when you do your work. It seems that your attendance is low as well. Is this because of your reputation?"

Zack sighed and nodded his head. "My sister and I always got good grades, but we hate know-it-alls and the smartest kids tend to have no friends. They think it's because they're nerds and everyone's mistreating them, but that's not true. It's because they're arrogant assholes who think that they're better than everyone because they get good grades."

"I see. Well, I know you are aware of the schools merging. What do you think we'll happen next?"

"Let's see. Since I have to go to Louhearst now anyway, it's probably going to be the same, if not worse. Duncan's in military school and Vic's in jail, so I already know that I'm going to be the scapegoat for that Emma girl getting killed since they're both gone. For the past week, all I've been hearing is 'boohoo, your friend killed my friend' and 'a girl died because of you' and a bunch of other nonsense. I would've stopped it if I could have. They're treating me like I'm the one who put the knife in her back. Vic killed someone and it was totally fucked up, but _I_ wasn't the one who did it. People want me to be all crying and upset, but I'm not. I'm sorry it happened, but I shouldn't have to apologize to anyone for something I didn't do. This was all Duncan's issue to begin with and now he and Vic have left me with a mess to clean up. They need someone to burn at the stake and I'm the witch…"

* * *

Shane Clarke made his way to the Cherrygrove Louhearst. The memorial was set to start in an hour and he had just finished making the slideshow for the event with June Hawthorne. The only thing he could remember while he was putting together pictures with June was how he had bullied Emma intensely during the previous year. He remembered how she was the only one who just retaliated with a smile. She wasn't like Logan, Jett, and Rietta, the latter of whom was still prone to his hatred. To him, she was better than them. He had gotten to know Emma during the previous month when she was helping Jewel with her pageant speech. They both took notes on how to be 'nice' and it had been sticking for the most part even after Jewel had won her pageant.

"_Jewel_…"

She was on his mind constantly and Shane felt sick to his stomach for the way he had treated her up until the current year. When they had first met at the age of six, they shared a mutual friendship. It wasn't until he started acting like his father, that Shane had begun to disregard Jewel. He glanced at the coin in his pocket and wondered why the Elder Sage's words had affected him so much.

"_Because he saw me for me. He didn't judge me by my actions…"_

That was it. It was because the Elder Sage didn't judge him like the students and professors of Louhearst did. Whenever he teased one person, he was hated for it, but when he tried to do good, people still doubted him and that is what he hated. He knew that good was not nice and as such, he was going to continue to do good things, but he didn't have to be nice about it, especially to people who didn't deserve it.

"Finally, I'm here…"

Shane entered the empty courtyard of the Cherrygrove Louhearst and found it ironic that it was the place where the war between Louhearst and Seathroul had started. He was surprised to see the entire north wall painted in a beautiful mural of Emma Jacobs. Her ocean blue eyes were the most prominent and her face was surrounded by several different hues of her favorite colors, blue and yellow. The eyes made Shane shiver a bit as he remembered how they were staring off into space after Emma was stabbed. It reminded him that he didn't want to make the same mistake that his cousin did. Jewel noticed him approaching and tried to clean up the mess that all the paint had left on her.

"You did an amazing job," he told her.

"Well, I had some help from a few other people and some Pokémon," Jewel replied. "You know, I'd be an artist if I didn't want to be a model."

"There's no reason why you can't do both. You have an amazing talent."

Jewel smiled and nodded her head. "Mommy always said that pretty women model not create art. I guess as you get older and wiser, you start to question some of the things your parents raised you to believe."

"Tell me about it…"

He moved closer to Jewel, but she took a step back. "I'm covered in paint and I don't want to ruin your clothes."

"I don't care. I have more clothes that I'm changing into for the memorial. Listen, there's something I want to tell you."

She arched an eyebrow as Shane moved closer. "Babe, we're in the middle of the courtyard. We can do that later."

"It's nothing like that. I just wanted to apologize to you for everything. All those years of me not treating you like you should. I've been taking all of my friends for granted. If there's one thing I've learned from Jacobs-I mean, Emma, is that you should appreciate your life and never take the people you love for granted…"

"Ten years ago," Jewel suddenly began. "I met a boy who wanted to be my friend despite the fact that I wasn't white. He introduced me to his friends, taught me how to tie my shoes, and taught me how to ride a bike. When another kid picked on me, he was always there to defend me. He gave me my first kiss and I fell in love with him not because he was rich or because he always bought me things, but because he was the only one who was nice to me from the start. As the years went by, he got meaner and so did I." She paused and gestured to the mural. "We were horrible even to the kindest of people, but I'm willing to change that and turn over a new leaf. Is he?"

Shane nodded his head. "I am…" He faced the mural and looked into the painted blue eyes before grabbing on to Jewel's hand. "For so long, all I wanted was to make my father proud of me. It meant everything to me, but lately, I've realized that I have my own path to follow. I shouldn't have anything to prove to anyone and I appreciate everything that I have especially you…"

Jewel blushed and shifted her gaze to the ground. "Wow, Shane, that's so sweet. Don't worry, I see you for who you truly are. I may be the only person who does, but that doesn't matter to me."

"I love you, Jewel…"

"I love you too…"

* * *

It was early in the night when the memorial had started. Hundreds of people from all over the nation had come to pay their respects for Emma Jacobs. A few of the people had begun taking their seats in the comfortable chairs placed around the courtyard of the Cherrygrove Louhearst. Jett looked around nervously. There was still no sign of Logan and he was getting worried. He walked around the building and was shocked to see a large black limousine pull up, surrounded by black cars.

"Jett," Roux muttered. "Is that-"

"The Head of the Nation?" Ethan finished.

Jett simply nodded his head in disbelief. He knew Emma's death had shocked the entire nation, but to have the Head arrive at the memorial was simply incredible. He figured that the reserved seats in the front near Emma's family and Pokémon were for him and his security. Jett only managed to get a quick glimpse of him before his security hovered around.

"_I hope we're not late_…"

He turned around to see a handsome young man with lightly tan skin, dark green eyes and straight brown hair. Beside him was an attractive young woman with emerald green eyes, fair skin, and long, shiny black hair. The two of them looked as if they could be a celebrity couple.

"Malcolm!" Jett said as he shook hands with him. "And who could forget, Lexi?"

"We had to be here," Malcolm said as Jett and Lexi hugged. "We couldn't make the funeral in time, so we made plans to arrive at the memorial. When we heard what happened, it's just…blew our minds."

"Definitely," Lexi added. "I mean, 'Emma' and 'murdered' don't even belong in the same sentence. What happened, Jett?"

Jett sighed and began telling them about the events leading up to that fateful night. "So, Clarke ran in the house and told us that she'd been stabbed by one of those Seathroul guys that we threw out of the party. We all ran outside to see the ambulance carrying her off and then we went to the hospital. The doctors said that her lung had been pierced and that she bled to death…"

Lexi held her hand over her mouth as Malcolm put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort his wife. "Emma was at the funeral after my brother was killed by the Soul Destroyers," he explained. "She came to the wedding and she went out of her way to make sure that everyone was happy. We needed to be here."

"We called a few of the others from last year and they said that they'll be here."

"There's definitely more than enough people here if the Head showed up," Jett told them. "Let's go find some seats…"

Logan arrived after his family and noticed that most people had taken their seats. Dean Horace was making his way to the podium along with his Ludicolo and Logan shuddered as he noticed the giant mural of Emma directly behind them. He felt the big blue eyes staring directly at him and he could already hear the voices in his head.

"_Her death is entirely your fault …Why haven't you told anyone else what you did? Why didn't you tell them that you tried to take advantage of her? That was the reason she went outside in the first place. You should have just stabbed her yourself…"_

He began breathing heavily as he swallowed another pill and took a seat near the exit. Dean Horace was preparing to speak and he could tell that the old man was fighting back tears. He adjusted the microphone and began speaking.

"Welcome to the Emma Jacobs Memorial. We have suffered a devastating loss at the Louhearst Academy. However, we are not here to mourn Emma, but we are here to celebrate her and everything that she did for us. Please enjoy this slideshow put together by Shane Clarke and Juniper Hawthorne."

Logan watched as the large screen came down and the music began playing. The first picture was Emma on her fifth birthday with Ethan and Lyra beside her as she blew out her candles. The picture disappeared and was replaced by a picture of ten year old Emma along with her Vulpix. Logan simply watched as the rest of the pictures came on the screen. He hadn't cried since the doctors gave them the news of Emma's death and he wasn't about to let his emotions get the best of him. However, he found it hard to control himself when the picture of Emma before her first day at Louhearst came on to the screen. There were several more pictures, but Logan's eyes widened when the image of him and Emma on the night of the dance came on to the screen. At that moment, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He had been in denial for several days, but he knew that he had to face the fact that Emma was gone. He'd never see her again and it was his fault. He had gotten cocky and let his guard down. He had made himself believe that only the Soul Destroyers were capable of murder and it had cost him dearly. He remembered Don Meladeo and remembered that his death had been his fault as well. Two people had lost their lives because of him and it was too much for him to bear.

"_It's all your fault_…"

The voices in his head continued their verbal assault as Logan rushed out of the memorial and ran out of the building. He sprinted down the street and continued running until he found himself in the middle of Route 29. He took the bottle of pills out of his pocket and stared at it as tears continued streaming down his face. He swallowed one and turned to head back. He walked a few steps before stopping to take another pill. He swallowed a third one and a fourth one and a fifth one. He continued on until he discovered that the bottle was empty. Logan threw the bottle to the ground as he began walking. His steps slowed as he continued on and the area around him began spinning.

"Martin?"

He heard Shane Clarke's voice call after him, but he didn't have the strength to call back. The area around him started spinning faster and faster until Logan felt himself lose control of his senses. He saw a blurred Shane Clarke rushing towards him as he collapsed onto the ground.

"Martin?"

Shane knelt down beside his cousin and began roughly shaking him, but Logan was unresponsive. He wasn't breathing and Shane's eyes widened in shock as he noticed the empty pill bottle a few yards away. He whipped out his phone and began punching numbers.

"Why does this shit keep happening to me?" he muttered as he waited for an answer.

"_What's your emergency?"_

"Listen, my name is Shane Clarke and I'm on Route 29. I found a boy passed out here and he's not breathing. I think he overdosed on his meds! Please, come quick!"

"_I'm sending help right away…"_

He hung up his phone and continued trying to wake Logan, but he was unsuccessful. He could feel a faint pulse, but he wasn't breathing at all and Shane knew that things weren't looking good. He knew that two deaths would completely destroy the spirit of the entire school. Shane remembered Logan rushing out of the memorial and had made sure to follow him to make sure he didn't get into something, but he had arrived too late. He simply stared at his fallen rival and he realized how intense everything had gotten. The rivalry between Logan Martin and Shane Clarke had been said to be one of the most intense conflicts in the history of Louhearst and Shane begin shaking uncontrollably. He never imagined that he could be feeling what he was at the moment especially for the boy who had collapsed in front of him. The thought that Logan Martin could be dead shook him to his core…

* * *

**AN: BIG changes are ahead as you've seen. Seathroul has been sank and the remaining students have to go to other schools and of course we have the event at the end of the chapter, so yeah. A suicide attempt is a serious issue and this is the first time that I touched on it, so I hope I did a good job. I'm taking a small break from Louhearst to catch up on my other stories. **

**You can submit OCs on the forum, so check out the 'Eastluroh Academy' and 'Throuleas Academy' threads. Both stories take place in the Louhearst canon, so feel free to submit OC's for it. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**~Later! **


	14. Six Sorrows

**Six Sorrows**

The doctor took a deep breath as he gathered the Martin family into the room. He hated giving awful news to people especially when it had to do with children, but he knew it was part of his job. His eyes shifted back and forth from the comatose boy lying in the bed beside him to his family who were anxiously awaiting any kind of news. The doctor sighed once more as he prepared to deliver the information.

"According to our files, Logan was in a coma last year and this is his second one. It's not normal for a boy his age to even be put in a coma, let alone two so close together. We managed to get the drug out of his system, but…suicide attempts are a serious issue. If he wakes up, he will be required by law to visit a mental ward for psychiatric evaluation."

"He's been under an extreme amount of pressure," Iris Martin told the doctor, trying her hardest to remain calm. "A close friend of his recently lost her life, but-"

"Wait a minute," Owen interrupted his wife. "I heard _if_ he wakes up. What are you saying?"

The doctor glanced at the floor before looking back up. "The drug is out of his system, but there is something that is keeping your son in a comatose state. We're trying our hardest to figure it out, but we don't have any answers yet. The only thing we know is that this state is extremely severe due to his medical history. It's possible that he may wake up tomorrow or he may not wake up until next week or next month or even next year. I'm afraid that it's not looking good and…" He paused for a moment. "There's a very strong chance that your son may never wake up…"

* * *

The news of Logan Martin's condition hit the students of Louhearst like an earthquake. It would be a week before the expedition resumed, but the spirit of the school had faded away. With the death of Emma and the possibility that Logan would never reawake from his comatose state, there was a very bleak outlook from the students. A dark cloud hovered over them and it seemed as if they were stuck in a state of despair. Shane Clarke entered his enormous room in Clarke Mansion and stretched out on his king-sized bed.

"_I put him in that first coma…" _he thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling_._

His mind wandered back to the fight at Mt. Moon that the two boys had a year earlier. Shane remembered how he bashed a rock into Logan's head and sent him to the ground. The thought of that first injuring being the primary cause of the situation that Logan was in now made Shane sick to his stomach. The entire rivalry between the two had been based on pride and pride alone. Logan had insulted Shane's pride by refusing to stay down. He remembered his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Cherry Boys and how Logan had defeated Luther Kross. Shane had trained vigorously since then and wished he could have a rematch with him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the dragon coin that he had received from the Elder Sage at the Sprout Tower. The old man's words echoed in his head.

"_Two sides of one coin. One side represents the right path and the other side represents the easy path. It is up to you to figure out which side is which and which path you will go down. Good luck…"_

Shane came to the conclusion that the 'right' path was worlds apart from the 'easy' path. He could definitely see that life had been somewhat easier for him before his change. However, he knew that things had been going well for him and his friends, but everyone else had been suffering. Part of him wanted to go back to being cold and uncaring. He had allowed his heart to harden over the years to prevent things like murder and suicide affect him or his Pokémon. However, there was a part of him that appreciated his new empathetic side. He had been hailed a 'hero' for calling the paramedics after Emma had been stabbed and again for alerting them after Logan's suicide attempt. A year ago, he would have never guessed that Emma Jacobs would be dead, Logan Martin would become suicidal, and that he would actually care about both of their terrible fates. The thought of it was unreal…

* * *

Ethan had always liked his house to be lit up. He didn't know why, but there was something about the darkness that he found depressing. However, today was different. There wasn't a single light on in his house. His Pokémon were all scattered around the living room, but he just sat on the couch in total darkness. His parents had spent most of their time at the Jacobs House trying to console the grieving family, but Ethan couldn't bring himself to even look down the street. Whenever he wanted to go somewhere, he knew he would have to pass Emma's house, but she wouldn't be in her front yard playing with her Ninetales or watering her plants. He would pass by there thinking he would meet up with Emma, only to remember that she was gone forever.

"_Why did this have to happen…?"_

Those six words continuously filled Ethan's thoughts. When he had heard the news about Logan, he didn't break down. He couldn't feel anything and it shocked him. The knock on the door interrupted Ethan's thoughts, but he ignored it, hoping whoever was there would take the hint and leave. However, they kept knocking and he finally decided to open the door. As he stared at his visitor, Ethan's expression became indifferent.

"What is it, Lyra?" he asked simply.

"Um, can I come in?"

Ethan shook his head. "I don't really think that's the best idea right now. I'm busy, so can you tell me what you want."

"I just wanted to see how you were…" She paused for a moment. "Losing Emma has made me realize how important you are to me. I mean, seeing you having fun with Ronnie for the past few months has helped me see what a good friend you are."

"I'm important to you?" Ethan shot back, his anger rising. "No, I'm important to you _now_. That's only because now because you don't have anyone left. I wasn't important to you last year when I was getting my ass kicked for you or how about the dance, huh? If it weren't for Jett and Z.K., I would've been in my dorm alone while you were having fun with some other guy and you wouldn't have even cared. I'm just a toy to you. You play with me when you're bored and then put me back in the box when you're done. Ever since I actually started taking everyone's advice and distancing myself from you, I've joined an awesome band, made more friends, and met a totally cool girl. She may have a baby, but at least I'm not depressed when I'm around her."

"I've been your best friend since we were kids. Are you really choosing her over me?"

Ethan shook his head once more. "It's not about that. Emma is _dead_ and she wasn't even in some type of accident. She was murdered by a drunken psycho and now Logan has tried to kill himself and from the looks of it, he pretty much succeeded. Our friends are losing their lives and I'm going to follow Emma's footsteps and live life to the fullest, even if I have to cut you out to do that."

"I'm sorry…" was all Lyra could utter.

"Yeah," Ethan said as he closed the door behind him. "Me too…"

* * *

Zoey Kross was used to being alone. For Z.K., loneliness had become a part of her life. It wasn't until her first year at Louhearst that she realized that she wasn't alone. Her entire family had abandoned her, but she didn't care about her parents or Luther. She had her Pokémon and as far as she was concerned, she had a new family. The Martins had taken her in when she had revealed to Iris that she would be homeless after the expedition ended in Kanto. She would often do as much work as possible to make up for being an extra mouth to feed. They had made her feel welcomed. However, she never realized how big the house was until she was left alone. The Martins were at Viridian Hospital all day and night, but Z.K. could never make herself stay for more than a few hours.

"What were you thinking, Logan?" she said to herself as she entered his room.

Whenever she visited him at the hospital, she had to fight back tears. She had been taught by her brother that crying was a sign of weakness and it had been ingrained in her ever since she was a small child. When the doctor had told them of Emma's death, she had allowed her emotions to show, but it was one of the rare occurrences where she had actually cried. She and her Pokémon had a reputation for being tough and she was intent on keeping it.

"I know it has to be in here somewhere…"

Z.K. began rummaging through his belongings until she heard a knock on the door. She wondered who it could be at this time of the night. She rushed down the stairs and opened the door to see Becca standing outside. Z.K. gestured her visitor in and closed the door behind her.

"Did you buy me a gift?" Becca asked as Z.K. signaled her Gliscor to come up from the basement.

"What are you talking about?"

Becca reached into her pocket and pulled out an expensive silver necklace with a name pendant. Z.K. nodded her head as she lit up a cigarette. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Z.K. questioned. "That your birthday was the same day as Logan's? Because I'm smarter than you give me credit for. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Does it matter? No one's ever bought me a gift anyway and if I would've told everyone, what would have happened? Emma still would've been stabbed outside the party and Logan still would've overdosed. Look, I appreciate you being nice enough to do something for me, but-"

"Look!" Z.K. interrupted as her face twisted in anger. She put out her cigarette in the ashtray and stepped up to Becca. "I didn't steal the necklace or anything. I had the pendant custom made and trust me, it was expensive! If you don't want it, I'll go get my money back, but don't come here all high and mighty! No one's ever bought me a gift before last year, but instead of whining, I thanked them for going through the trouble of getting me a gift in the first place. All you ever do is whine about your life and when someone finally does something nice for you, you still whine. Yes you've hard life, but you're not the only one and you're better off than a lot of other people. Let me ask you something. Are you six feet under like Emma? Are you lying in a coma in a hospital bed with the possibility that you'll never wake up like Logan? You know what Becca, you've just royally pissed me off! Give me three reasons why I shouldn't just bash your face in with this ashtray!"

She shoved Becca with enough strength to send her to the floor and she simply looked at Z.K. in shock. The girl ran her hand over her face and was surprised to see it stained with red fluid. She had hit her nose on the ledge and was now bleeding tremendously. Gliscor immediately flew in between the two girls to prevent any further injuries.

"_Gliiiiscor_!"

He frowned at Z.K. as he stood guard over Becca. "I'm sorry," she said as tears welled up in her eyes. She sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry! Everything that happened was my fault and I was taking it out on you. I wanted the party in the first place. I-I couldn't keep it under control and Emma ended up dead. Now Logan is pretty much gone too and I can't handle it…"

Becca managed to get to her feet as she reached for the tissue box. The bleeding had stopped after a few more seconds and she went to the restroom to clean herself off. After she was done, Becca sat down on the couch next to Z.K. and held her tightly.

"Listen, what happened to Emma was not your fault. One guy killed Emma and he's in jail for it. I wish Logan would have realized that, but he didn't." She paused for a moment as Z.K. sat up to face her. "I want you to know that I do love the necklace. I guess I was just surprised that anyone would remember my birthday, much less get me a gift. All the foster families I've lived with have never even acknowledged it and to me, it just seemed like a regular day."

"There are people who care about you now," Z.K. told her. "I started hanging out with you because we're so much alike. When my brother and his gang left, I felt like an outsider at Louhearst. I had friends, but I still didn't feel like I belonged. With you around, I didn't have to feel that way anymore. There was finally someone with similar issues. I know I don't show it often, but I do care about you." She sighed. "I'm sorry for almost kicking your ass…"

Becca smiled and handed her the necklace. "Like you would've won if we actually fought. Now, would you do the honor?" Z.K. grinned as she stood up and placed the necklace on her friend before sitting back down. "I've tried it on once, but I want another person's opinion. How do I look?"

"Beautiful…"

The two girls smiled at one another with the realization that they cared about each other more than anyone else in the world. They found themselves gazing into each other's eyes. Becca felt the comforting warmness of Z.K.'s chocolate brown eyes while the relaxing coolness of Becca's sapphire blue eyes soothed Z.K. The two girls hesitated as they slowly moved closer to one another, not losing eye contact for a single second. Their eyes closed simultaneously as their lips met. The kiss lasted six seconds, but it felt like six hours. They pulled away from each other and simply sat with a wide-eyed expression on their faces. Becca jumped up from the couch and headed towards the door.

"I-I think I should go…"

Z.K. simply nodded her head without even glancing at her friend. "I-I think that's a good idea…"

* * *

"_What's up? You've apparently tried to contact the Jett. Sorry I couldn't get to the phone, but I'm a busy man. Leave me a message and I'll hit you back…"_

Rietta simply hung up the phone and shook her head. It was the fifth time she had tried to contact Jett, but he hadn't answered or even attempted to call her back. She looked around her fancy Mahogany Town hotel room. She had left her Pokémon in her sister's room and made sure that she was alone. She didn't want or need the company. Rietta hadn't been home since the stabbing, but she didn't want to go back. She remembered walking in her destroyed garden along with the other students to see Emma being carried off by an ambulance, she remembered seeing the shock on everyone's faces when Shane rushed in the house to tell them what had happened, but there was one thing that really haunted her. It was the blood. The west gate was stained red with Emma's blood and Rietta literally had to keep herself from fainting. It was the most horrific thing she had ever seen. Things got even worse afterwards. Wherever they went, she and her family were constantly harassed by reporters. The questions never escaped her thoughts.

_"Henrietta Mackenzie, is it true that the out of control party was held at your home?"_

"_Henrietta Mackenzie, is it true that your negligence was the primary cause for the death of Emma Jacobs?"_

"_Henrietta Mackenzie, do you believe that you are responsible for the party that led to Emma Jacobs's death and subsequently, Logan Martin's suicide attempt?"_

Rietta knew that it wasn't fair for her to have to endure everything that was happening, but as she forced herself to think, she came to the realization that she had never really been nice to Emma in the first place. Emma, on the other hand, had always been extremely pleasant to her and remembering how rude she had been to her made Rietta sick to her stomach. She thought about Logan constantly. He had been on her mind since his first confrontation with Sadie Yanes. Rietta had been worried about his mental health, but she hadn't done anything to help him. If anything, she felt like she made it worse.

"_All of this could have been avoided_…" she thought to herself. "_It's all my fault_…"

She thought about calling Jett once more, but she knew he wouldn't pick up. She didn't know if he was still in shock or if he just didn't want to talk to her. Rietta knew that is was a strong possibility that the latter was true. She wouldn't blame him for deserting her. She approached the phone once more and took a deep breath before dialing Jett's number once more. Rietta waited and waited for an answer, but it never came.

"_What's up? You've apparently tried to contact the Jett. Sorry I couldn't get to the phone, but I'm a busy man. Leave me a message and I'll hit you back…"_

Rietta's face twisted in anger as she hurled the phone against the hard wall, breaking it in the process. Tears streamed from her face as she reached under the bed. She retrieved a black bag and placed it on the bed before running to make sure the door was locked. Rietta took a deep breath as she took a seat on the bed and opened the bag to see the transparent bottle that she had stolen. The words of  
Shane Clarke ran through her head as she stared at the bottle.

"_Anyway, just have a few sips. It'll help you lighten up and enjoy the party…"_

She knew that alcohol was the reason for everything bad that happened in the first place, but she also knew how much it made all the pain go away. She remembered how much fun she had at the party and realized that it was the most fun she had ever had before it turned into one of the worst nights of her life. Rietta glanced at her broken cell phone and shifted her vision to the closed door before she removed the top to the bottle. She took a few sips as the tears continued flowing. The sips gave way to swallows as Henrietta Mackenzie continued drowning her sorrows…

* * *

Jett turned on his phone as he entered his room. He was completely alone and the only emotion he could feel was rage. For the lively and energetic boy, this emotion was extremely rare. He was equally furious with everyone without much justification towards certain people. Magmar and Manectric wanted to console their trainer, but they were afraid that he may turn his rage onto them. They simply stood in the corner of the room as Jett plopped down on the bed. He grabbed his phone and was shocked to see how many missed calls he had.

"Damn," he said to himself. "Who the hell has been calling me so damn much?"

There were several names on the list. Sonia, Roux, Mike, Rolen, and a bunch of other people were on the list. However, he noticed that Rietta's name had appeared no less than six times. He had turned his phone off in order to get some peace and quiet, but he realized that it was a mistake. However, his anger wouldn't subside and he simply placed the phone on the shelf before grabbing his guitar. Everything had been going good for him, but it wasn't the same for his friends and he knew it.

"_It's not fair_…" he thought to himself. "_An evil person like Zaria Vella gets to roam around killing innocent people and getting rewarded for it while a sweet girl like Emma is dead before her sixteenth birthday_…"

He didn't even want to think about Logan. He and Shane were the first two people who knew why Emma left the party in the first place, but once everyone found out what happened between Logan and Emma, things got worse. Jett couldn't help but to feel sorry for Logan. Whenever he himself did something bad, there were never any consequences. Jett knew he had been deceitful towards girls in the past, but the penalties were nowhere near harsh. However, when Logan attempted to do the same thing, someone got killed. Logan and Rietta were two of the biggest pessimists he knew, but he felt that in Logan's case, it was mostly justified. When they had started Louhearst, Logan was as big an optimist as Jett was, but after dealing with the explosion at Mt. Moon, the invasion of the Cherry Boys, and the rise of the Soul Destroyers, it was reasonably expected that Logan would eventually go insane.

"_I'm not crazy!" _

Logan would often shout those words to anyone who even suggested that he was slightly 'off' as several students would often whisper behind his back. Cruel names like 'Bad Luck Logan' and 'Lunatic Logan' had emerged amongst the students of Louhearst after the party and even more names came up after news of his suicide attempt reached the other students and the media. Jett had sent out a message to the students of Louhearst and the incoming students from Seathroul stating that if he heard any of the names from anyone, he would personally beat them within an inch of their life. His thoughts were interrupted as a purple aura surrounded the doorknob.

"Go away, Cynda!" he shouted.

The lock on the door turned by itself and Jett glared at his psychic cousin as she entered the room. "You have to talk to someone sometime," she stated as she took a seat next to him.

"No, I don't…"

"I can just read your mind anyway," Cynda reminded him. "Speaking of which, I'm reading it right now and those are some very harsh thoughts about your big cousin. I'm only trying to help you. Now, what did the doctors say about Logan?"

Jett sighed. "You can read my mind anyway, so I might as well tell you. They said that they got the drug out of his system, but there's something keeping him in a coma. They said that there's a possibility that he'll never wake up…"

"Wait…" Cynda said urgently. "So he's just lying helpless at the hospital?" Jett simply nodded as Cynda's eyes widened. She jumped up from the bed as a purple aura surrounded her. Jett looked on the floor to see an Odd Keystone hopping into the room. Cynda's Spiritomb emerged from the stone with its eyes widened.

"What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

Cynda scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Jett. "Listen to me, I don't think Logan's suicide attempt was solely his decision. I think that someone may have influenced his thoughts. You said that they got the drug out of his system, so he should be awake by now."

"Wait, are you saying the Soul Destroyers had something to do with all of this?"

"If you're referring to Emma's death, the answer is no. However, Logan's suicide attempt was no accident if he's still in a comatose state. His entire existence is in danger. I have to get to Viridian City immediately. That piece of paper has Xavier's contact information. Call him as soon as possible. Spiritomb, let's go!"

"_Spiiiiiriiitooom_!"

Before Jett could even blink, they were gone. He picked up his phone and quickly dialed Rietta's number only to get a dial tone…

* * *

Floressa Roux had never really been accepted in her hometown of Vermillion City and she knew that her bubbly and enthusiastic demeanor was nothing more than a cheap façade or at least it was to her. Everyone else at Louhearst had constantly failed to see through it. It was well known to the citizens of Vermillion City that her parents were former Team Rocket admins. She had been ostracized as a young child by the paranoid citizens of Vermillion and she resented her parents for it.

"_Floressa Roux_…" she thought to herself.

She didn't really hate her first name, but she found it very strange especially considering the fact that her parents, Damien and Quinn, had normal names. Over time, she started going by 'Roux' and her upbeat façade had formed. 'Floressa' was the outcast in her hometown who had ran away from home at the age of ten, while 'Roux' was an ultra-cool rockstar with a variety of friends. Her arrogance had risen as a result of it, but she didn't really care. She couldn't even remember when she had start going by her last name. All she knew was that 'Floressa' was gone and 'Roux' had taken her place. 'Floressa' cried at night because she didn't have any friends and everyone hated her, but 'Roux' played the guitar and was constantly surrounded by friends.

"I wonder if it's still here?" said to herself as she opened the closet to her room.

Her Plusle had been playing inside of it earlier, making it a bit messy. She shuffled through the piles of clothes and pulled out an old Team Rocket uniform. It had belonged to her mother and she would often try it on. However, the sight of it just made her frown. It represented everything bad that she had ever had to endure. Part of her wanted to call in her Charizard to burn the outfit, but part of her wanted to keep it as a reminder of her struggles. When she had arrived at Louhearst, she had planned on keeping her parents past misdeeds a secret, but she didn't count on Shane Clarke having information on her.

"Logan, what happened to you…?"

Logan was the first person Roux had told her secret to. They had a mutual dislike for Shane Clarke in the beginning, but there was something more to their relationship and it surprised her that it took her this long to figure it out. She remembered how jealous she was of Nina Richardson when Logan had his eyes on her, but she didn't feel that way with Emma as much. Roux knew that she and Emma didn't really get to know each other well until the month before her death, but she was able to figure out early on that Emma was a good person without putting up a façade to hide anything. To her, Emma was better.

"_Why do you even care so much_? _He was going to do the same thing to you the next day…"_

Roux knew she wanted to be mad at Logan, but she couldn't find it in herself to do so. She was worried about him constantly and was the first one to breakdown after she had heard about his suicide attempt. The fact that there was a possibility that he would never wake up only furthered her worries. She knew why she felt the way she did and she was ready to admit it to herself.

"_Because I love him…"_

* * *

**A/N: So apparently the Soul Destroyers had a hand in this? This chapter was mostly for character development for the six other main characters, but its definitely needed for the plot and we got to see Shane, Ethan, ZK, Rietta, Jett, and Roux go to their separate emotions and how they felt about the current situation. Anyway, we're shifting back to the main plot with the Soul Destroyers, but the Seathroul conflict isn't over yet, so that'll still be a major subplot in this story.**

**Other News: Submit OCs for Eastluroh/Throuleas Academy at the forums. Both stories are part of the Louhearst-canon. Also, check out 'Sebastian's Corner' if you want to read some funny commentary on the story from my brother. **

**Take care everyone!**

**Later! **


	15. Go Home Seathroul!

**A/N: PLEASE READ**

**Just letting everyone know, all of my stories are going to be on hiatus for a while. This is because my baby is due soon and its going to be quite a while before I can update again so I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If I have some more time before I go into labor (which I seriously doubt) there's a possibility that I may update another chapter. Anyway, enjoy! **

* * *

**Go Home Seathroul!**

Shane stepped to the front of the line that his Pokémon were in. He had planned on swapping out one of them out for his Blastoise during the previous year, but he decided to go back on it due to Blastoise's destructive nature. However, he felt confident as he was more mature than he had been and that controlling Blastoise wouldn't be too much of an issue. Even though the tournament had been cancelled due to the recent events at Louhearst, Shane felt that Blastoise would still be good to have for protection. He had decided that either Victreebel or Rapidash would be the best candidates to leave at home since they were both very fond of his mother.

"Which one would you like to keep you company?" Shane asked her.

Laurina glanced at the two Pokémon before deciding on Victreebel. She had given Rapidash to Shane as a gift, but she knew that she always got along better with Victreebel. "We'll have such an enjoyable time Victreebel," she stated as she began petting the grass Pokémon.

"Is that okay with you, Victreebel?" Shane asked curiously.

"_Victreee!"_

Victreebel nodded her head in approval rubbed against Shane before she was led away by Laurina. Once they were out of sight, Shane recalled his other Pokémon before setting his eyes on Blastoise. The Pokémon simply stared at his trainer with a stern look on his face, but for the first time, Shane didn't feel intimidated. He had raised Blastoise from a Squirtle and he had always had a very callous attitude towards other trainers and Pokémon and was known not to follow orders. The only reason Shane didn't release him was because of his outstanding power

"Listen," he began in a firm voice. "I know we have had our differences, but too many things have happened lately. I want you to know that I'm not the same person that I was. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm not going to give up. So, we should be on equal terms. I won't go overboard complaining about strength or anything like that. What do you say?"

"_Blaaastoise_…"

Blastoise simply nodded his head in agreement as a faint smile formed on Shane's face.

"_I see you are taking this new 'change' of yours seriously_…"

Samuel Clarke strolled up to his son with a look of indifference on his face. Shane simply stared at his father in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Shane, you've become quite the…hero of Louhearst," Samuel replied. "Finding two of your peers near death in the same week and alerting the paramedics both times is quite unlike you. I am not disappointed though. You've matured and that is a good thing. However, before you go back to school, I want you to remember one thing. Loyalty…"

"Loyalty?"

"Correct. I am pleased with your improvement, but do not forget whose side you are on."

Shane nodded his head and took a deep breath before reciting the familiar words.

"Blood is thicker than water…"

* * *

With the academies starting up again, Professor Pine had taken over for Dean Horace and was preparing for the arrival of the Seathroul students over the course of the week. She decided that it would be easier to divide the transfers into three groups and gradually integrate them into Louhearst instead of just shoving everyone through the doors when tensions were still high. There were several students that she needed to speak with, specifically Zack Winters.

The young man sat in her office with an indifferent expression on his face. Louhearst was the last place he wanted to be and she knew it. However, Professor Pine was going to try her hardest to be both friendly and stern with him. "Listen," she began. "You've been through a lot."

"If I had a dime for every time I heard that," Zack muttered.

The professor sighed as she continued. "I can't imagine what it must have felt like, but if you want to talk about anything my door is always open. I know you have therapy this week, so you'll be with the last group of students arriving here on Friday. Now, I need to talk to you about your son."

"I already know," Zack said irritably. "I have to help Ronnie take care of him or I go to jail. Trust me, I've been hearing it for nearly three weeks."

"Well, Zack, it's only a punishment if you choose to see it in that way," Professor Pine told him as she turned to face the window. "I watched Joey from time to time when his mother was busy with her studies. You should be lucky to have such a beautiful little boy. I know I would be…"

She turned back to face Zack and noticed that he had started to become uncomfortable. Professor Pine groaned to herself as she realized what she had done. She always had problems keeping her professional life and her personal life separate.

"Um, can I go now?"

The professor nodded her head and the young man headed out of the office. He looked around in disgust as he headed for the exit of the school. He would rather be anywhere other than Louhearst. He hated the colorful atmosphere, the stuck-up looking students, and everything else about his new school. However, he knew that the real reason that he hated Louhearst was the fact that it was a hundred times better than Seathroul.

"Ugh, I wish we were anywhere else other than this pathetic excuse for a school…" he muttered to himself.

"_You and me both_…"

He looked forward to see a familiar looking young man. He knew him from somewhere, but he couldn't remember. Zack squinted at the young man before his eyes widened and a grin formed on his face. "Oh, you're that dude we jumped back in Cherrygrove!" he said to Ethan. "Man, I'm way passed that. How about we just let it go."

"You could actually apologize," Ethan shot back.

Zack frowned at him. "You want an apology? Fine, I'm sorry I kicked the shit out of you. There, I said it. Now get out of my way." Both boys knew that the apology was nowhere near sincere, but Zack didn't care.

"Actually, I wasn't talking about that," Ethan told him as the two boys stood face to face.

"Ugh," Zack scoffed. "I don't have time for this…"

He started to walk off, but Ethan blocked his path once more. He glared into Zack's eyes as a furious expression formed on his face. He tried to control his anger as he began speaking. "You _stood_ there while your friend murdered my friend in cold blood," he said in a low, threatening voice. "You can ask for forgiveness for everything you've done. For abandoning Ronnie, for beating me up, and for killing Emma even though you could really care less, but what about my friend? She can't ask for her life back…"

Zack didn't respond. He knew there was nothing he could say and he definitely wasn't going to get on his hands and knees and apologize for something that someone else did. Vic was the one who had killed Emma Jacobs, but judging from the reactions he had gotten from several of the Louhearst students, it seemed as if they believed that all of Seathroul had stabbed the girl. Zack knew that the 'war' was idiotic, but he was only in for the fun. He kept telling himself over and over that no one was supposed to actually get killed. Zack glared daggers at Ethan. He had tried to make peace with the younger boy, but it was hopeless. He simply shoved him out of his way and continued towards the exit…

* * *

Rietta stepped into the ruins of her garden along with her Mismagius, desperately trying to hold back her tears. It was the first time she had been allowed to see it and with the morning sun shining brightly, the destruction was highly visible. Rietta looked from the trampled flowers to the large branches on the ground around the cherry tree. She looked at the pieces of the destroyed bird bath and over to the west gate. She remembered how her mother talked about getting it fixed, but had never gotten around to it. It dawned on Rietta that Emma could have made it out if the gate were fixed. The rain had washed away all traces of Emma's blood on the white gate, but there was still an aura of uneasiness that Rietta could feel.

"_Hey, you wanted to show me something?"_

Jett entered the garden through the east gate, his Magmar following close behind him. Like Rietta, this was the first time Jett had laid eyes on the destroyed garden. He managed to retain his calm attitude as he moved around the garden.

"This…" Rietta started. She took a deep breath. "This is where it happened. This is where Logan and Shane found Emma…"

Jett sighed as Rietta's Mismagius moved closer to her. If there was anything that Jett wanted, it was to help all of his friends feel a little better and hopefully take their minds off of all the tragedies that had been occurring. He knew it would be difficult to deal with Rietta alone after everything that had happened, but he felt that it would be best to be as settled as possible. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a set of keys and held them in front of Rietta's face.

"Magmar, take Faye to the car," he told his Pokémon. "We're going to go for a ride."

Rietta stared at him in confusion as the two Pokémon headed out of the garden. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To that café across the street from the Department Store," he answered. "Classes aren't starting up again until next Monday after all three of the Seathroul groups have been transferred, so everyone's going to be hanging out there."

"Well, I'd rather not…" Rietta snapped.

"Too bad," Jett said as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the garden. "You're driving! You're birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks and you need to be able to drive by the time we get to Ecruteak."

"I don't even have my license yet…"

Jett simply ignored her as he crammed Magmar and Faye in the backseat and jumped on the passenger's side. Rietta reluctantly took a seat in the driver's seat as an annoyed expression formed on her face. Jett stared at her for a bit and found something unusual about her eyes. They had a somewhat sullen look in them and he realized that her skin was a bit paler than usual. He guessed that the recent events had taken a toll on her.

"What are you looking at?" she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nothing. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I guess. Any words of encouragement?"

"Just four," Jett replied. "Try not to suck…"

* * *

Rietta glanced over to Jett as she continued driving towards Central Goldenrod. Traffic was light and as much as she wanted to get the driving over with, she knew they would be in trouble if she sped especially since she didn't even have a license in the first place.

"I just want to ask something," she started. "On the expedition, we have to walk to the next location, so how does everyone get their cars from one place to another when we move to a different town? Like when we get to Ecruteak, how are you going to get your car there?"

"The Alakazam that Dean Horace have around the school transport all the cars to the parking lot of the building in the next city. I don't know if there actually his or not, but there still here while he's on vacation or whatever he went."

"Vacation?"

Jett nodded his head. "Professor Pine's in charge while he's gone. I can see why he'd want to get away from all this for a while. The reporters have probably been hounding him just as much as they've been harassing you. I just wish Cynda would call me about Logan. Z.K. told me that she's been in and out of some kind of trance...and…"

"And what?" Rietta asked him as she turned to face them. "What's the-"

She was cut off by the sound of a loud horn coming from an oncoming eighteen-wheeler. Jett quickly grabbed the wheel and spun the car back into the correct lane, ignoring the screaming Rietta. They pulled into the café and Jett immediately hopped out of the car.

"Rietta, what the hell?"

"My bad!" she yelled as she tried to catch her breath. She tossed Jett the keys as she recalled Faye to her Poké Ball. "I-I'll go see if I can find a table."

She made her way inside the café as Jett recalled Magmar. He found himself pretty concerned about Rietta and wondered what was going on with her. Something was definitely off with her, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He noticed Rolen and Mike chatting with one another near Rolen's car and walked over to his band mates. "Sorry it took so long to get here. I was almost killed by Rietta's driving. You guys get my message?"

"Yep," Mike replied. "I'm still up for practicing. In fact, me and Rolen are about to head over to that new music store in a few. I don't know about Roux or Ethan though. They're in the café, but I didn't want to bother them…"

"They'll come around," Jett said. "There's just a lot going on right now and we need to make sure we don't pressure them with any band stuff." He pulled out his phone and stepped to the side to read the text message that he had received.

"Is that Sonia?" Mike teased as he glanced at the screen on Jett's phone.

Jett grinned and nodded his head as he answered the text before putting the phone back in his pocket. "I told her to come hang out with all of us here. It'll get her a better chance to get to know some of the Louhearst students and hopefully help us with this whole Louhearst-Seathroul stuff."

"Wait," Rolen interjected. "Wasn't she friends with that freak that killed Jacobs?"

"Vic?" Jett answered. "Please, she's never even talked to Vic."

"Alright, whatever," Rolen said. "Cooper, let's get going…"

The two boys shook hands with Jett as they got in Rolen's car and drove off. Jett headed inside the café and found Rietta at a table with Roux and Ethan. Before he could make his way over to them, he was approached by Z.K. She grabbed onto his arm and dragged him into the nearby broom closet. Closing the door behind them, she took a deep breath.

"Listen, Z.K." he started. "I have a girlfriend, so we shouldn't be-"

"Shut up and listen!" Z.K. interrupted. She took another deep breath before speaking. "I…I kissed Becca…"

"Come again?"

She moved closer to him. "I kissed Becca…"

"Hot…"

Z.K. ignored him and continued speaking. "I have to tell someone. It started because I bought her a gift since her birthday was the same day as Logan's, but she didn't tell anyone. So, she came over to the Martins place while I was there by myself and we got in a fight. We apologized to each other and then…we kissed. I've been avoiding her all day, but I have to know if this means that I'm…"

"Don't jump to conclusions," Jett assured her. "Lucky for you, I'm an expert on this subject. First thing first, how long did the kiss last?"

"I don't know. Six or seven seconds…"

"That's kind of a lot. Was there any tongue used?"

Z.K. frowned at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm totally serious. Look, Z.K., I'm trying to help you."

"Okay, there might have been _some_ tongue…"

Jett leaned against the wall in silence. He stared at Z.K. for a few seconds before deciding to speak. "Honestly, you're going to have to talk to Becca about this. You can't keep avoiding her especially since you two share a room. If you like Becca and she likes you back, then go for it. If you felt it was a mistake, then you need to let Becca know that."

"Wow, Jett, that actually sounded…_smart_…"

She gave him a peck on the cheek before walking out of the closet. Jett reached inside his pocket and read his text message before smiling to himself and answering back. The young man made his way over to the table and took a seat in the chair across from Rietta. She was in a conversation with Ethan and Roux about the Seathroul transfers.

"That psycho's in jail," Ethan started. "But what about Zack Winters? I mean, he saw Emma get stabbed and nothing happens to him. All he has to do is take care of his son, something he should have been doing in the first place."

"I just don't see why we have to merge with Seathroul," Rietta added. "It's just going to make things worse. That school is full of maniacs."

The three continued conversing as Jett continuously checked his phone. When it finally rang, he immediately answered it.

"Are you here?" he said into the phone. "Okay, cool, I'm inside. I'll be the hot guy just in case you didn't know…"

He hung up the phone and continued smiling to himself as Rietta, Roux, and Ethan stared at him in confusion. "Who was that?" Roux asked curiously.

"Oh, that was-"

"Jett!" Sonia called out as she made her way to the table with a large bag in her hand. Jett immediately jumped out of his seat and wrapped his arms around the Seathroul transfer. She handed him the bag and Jett arched an eyebrow as he peered inside. "It's the entire _Pokémon Zombie_ collection as well as _Nightmare on Sycamore Street_ and I even got _Sevii Islands Demon_. It's an old classic from like the eighties. Since classes don't start up until next Monday, I was thinking we could watch them together with our Pokémon?"

"Definitely!" Jett replied as he continued looking at the movie cases. "I can't believe you're in to horror movies. Okay, like for real, we need to get married as soon as possible. Oh yeah, let me introduce you to my friends."

The two took a seat across from Rietta, Roux, and Ethan and the entire table fell silent. Jett arched an eyebrow at his friends as Sonia stretched out her hand at Rietta and Roux. "Sonia," she greeted as the two girls reluctantly shook her hand.

"Roux…"

Rietta paused and took a deep breath. "Rietta. It's nice to _finally_ officially meet you. She glanced over at Jett only to receive an annoyed eye roll from him.

"So how are things over at Seathroul?" Ethan interjected.

"Well, the first group of transfer students are done packing and they've started moving their stuff to Louhearst," Sonia explained. "The second and third groups are mostly just hanging around campus, but other than that, everything's going fine at Seathroul."

"Really?" Ethan continued. "Everything's okay? Last time I checked, one of your students was in jail…"

The entire table fell silent once again as Jett's eyes wondered across the room. He could tell that the tension was thick, but Sonia managed to retain her coolness. "Listen," she started. "I'm really sorry about your friend, Emma. It was a total tragedy and it shouldn't have happened…"

"I'm sorry," Ethan replied. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. It just happened out of nowhere. I mean you've never even talked to the guy who did it…"

Before they could continue, Ethan noticed Ronnie walking up to the table, desperately trying to hold her drink, talk on the phone, and push Joey's stroller all at the same time while her Mr. Mime followed behind her with her school books and a baby bag. Ethan got up and helped her to their table.

"I got to go, Grandma!" she said into the phone. "Okay, love you too."

Ronnie hung up the phone and took a deep breath. "Sorry it took so long for me to meet up with you guys. Grandma just talks and talks and talks, Joey screams at the top of his lungs, and I don't know how Mr. Mime has as much patience as he does."

"_Mr. Mime!" _

He smiled at his trainer and helped her organize her belongings with his telekinesis. Mr. Mime separated her school items from her baby gear and placed her drink directly in front of her.

"Thank you so much," Ronnie said as she recalled him to his Poké Ball. "You're the sweetest." She turned her attention back to her friends. "Hey, Sonia, I didn't expect to see you here. Are you with the first group of transfers?"

"Yeah," she answered as she moved closer to the stroller. She peered inside at the sleeping baby. "He gets cuter every time I see him. He looks just like you."

"Thanks for the flattery," Ronnie replied. "But we all know who he really looks like. Speaking of his dad, what group is he coming in?"

"I think Justin and Derek told me that Zack and most of his gang are coming in the third group of transfers on Friday. So-"

She was cut off by two Seathroul girls approaching the table. Rietta immediately recognized the first girl. It was Briana Zeno or 'Breezy' as she wanted to be called. She groaned to herself as she remembered how much trouble she had been on the tour. The other girl didn't look familiar. She had blond hair with pink highlights, fair skin, and brown eyes that seemed to be focusing on everything at one time.

"Hi!" Breezy said to the table. "We just wanted to introduce ourselves to you all since we're going to be under the same roof." She smirked at Rietta. "I'm Breezy, but I'm sure some of you already know. This is my friend, Mikayla."

Mikayla waved flirtatiously at Jett. Sonia could tell that Breezy was up to something, but she couldn't figure it out. "What exactly do you want?"

"I just wanted to meet your new boyfriend," Breezy said in a seemingly innocent tone. "He's pretty cute. Oh, one more thing. I wanted to ask you how Vic is doing."

"I wouldn't know…"

"Really, Sonia?" Mikayla added. "We thought you would know. After all, Vic was your friend. Isn't that right, Breezy?"

"I'm not sure," Breezy stated as Sonia was met with glares from Rietta, Roux, and Ethan. "I think they were _more_ than friends at one point, but even after that, they were still on good terms while she kept going through all the guys at Seathroul. Maybe we should ask Ronnie. After all, she was at Seathroul last year so I'm sure she remembers. Wait, look at the time. We hate that we have to leave after opening a can of Wurmple, but it's important…"

The two girls shot evil smirks at Sonia and Ronnie as they headed for the exit. The table fell into yet another silence before Ethan finally stood up and faced Ronnie.

"You knew…"

"Wait Ethan-"

He stormed out of the restaurant and Ronnie scooped Joey in her arms before following after him, leaving the other four alone. Sonia ignored the glares from the Louhearst girls as she tried to explain herself.

"Listen, Jett," she began. "I lied when I said I never talked to Vic. We went out for a bit last year, but I broke up with him because he was a psycho. I only stayed his friend because I thought I could help him, but I was wrong. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just thought that you wouldn't want to go out with me if you knew the truth."

"Well this is a surprise," Rietta hissed as she scowled at Sonia. "So, Jett, who are you loyal to? Your dead friend or your new little Seathroul skank?"

Jett's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Rietta had never been the nicest person, but that comment was unbelievable. He was more shocked than angry that she had said something so hateful. He turned to Roux, who had an equally shocked expression on her face. She had been noticeably quiet the entire day.

"Roux…" Jett said.

"Sorry, Jett," she replied. "Rietta's right. Emma and Logan-"

"What?" he interrupted. "I'd expect this from the Wicked Witch of the North, South, East and West, but not you."

"What do you want me to say?" Roux yelled. "She lied to us about being friends with that psycho."

Jett stood up. "And seeing how you two are acting right now, I can see why she lied. Come on, Sonia, let's get out of here." The two of them started to walk off, but Jett suddenly turned around and made direct eye-contact with Rietta. "You don't even care about Emma or Logan, so I don't know why you're putting up this act. You never cared about either of them. You just want everyone to be miserable and alone like you are. By the way, I just saved your life _again_, but obviously no gratitude is required. Just leave me alone…"

* * *

Shane and Jewel sat in Professor Caper's empty classroom with the other second years gathered around them along with their Pokémon. They had been discussing the arrival of the Seathroul transfers and for the first time, Shane found himself in a position of praise amongst his peers. He definitely didn't want any of the Seathroul transfers at Louhearst and he wasn't going to try to hide it at all.

"They said a third of the students that went to Seathroul were criminals," he explained to the second years. "So out of four-hundred, around one-hundred and thirty-three of them are thugs. We're getting two-hundred and Eastluroh's getting two-hundred so that means about sixty-six of them will be just like Vic Lawson."

"We don't want them here," Jewel added. "And we shouldn't have to hide it. Think about it. More students mean more roommates and most of us already hate the roommates we have. All of them aren't bad and that's a given. We've met good Seathroul students."

"We also tried to end the war like three times," Shane continued. "But they just kept coming back and harassing us and ended in the worse way possible. There are some good Seathroul students, but they didn't try hard enough to keep their reputation clean. We let our guard down at the party and Emma Jacobs paid for it with her life."

Jewel continued speaking as Shane hopped out of his seat and headed towards the back of the classroom where he met up with Rietta and Roux. He smirked at them and the two girls rolled their eyes back at him.

"You're so dramatic," Rietta stated.

"But I'm right," he replied. "And you know it. Where's Mitchell? If anyone would be on our side, it's him."

"He'd rather be with his new Seathroul girlfriend," Rietta answered. "Who by the way used to go out with the guy who killed Emma and pretty much caused Logan's suicide attempt, but obviously he doesn't care…"

"Too bad," Shane said as he turned his attention to Roux. "What do you think? Should we like protest or something?"

Roux sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what to think. She wanted to side with her friends especially for Logan, but she knew in the back of her mind that the hate was pointless. It wouldn't bring Emma back or wake Logan up. She wondered what was going on through Rietta's head and thought about what Jett had said about her. It didn't seem to have any effect on her or at least she didn't show it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the intercom.

"_All students please report to the auditorium_…"

Shane nodded his head. "Here's our chance…"

* * *

Professor Pine stood at the podium in the auditorium of Louhearst with her Vileplume and Bellossom on opposite sides of her. She had hoped that they could give her the encouragement she needed to address the Louhearst students and welcome the first group of Seathroul transfers. She wanted to prove herself as a worthy dean while Horace was away. The students were filing in as Professor Caper led the transfers on the stage.

"It is so good to see all these familiar faces," Professor Pine began. "And new faces as well. Now I understand you've all been through a lot this month. Both schools have had their share of problems, but now is the time to come together. Louhearst, I want you all to give a big welcome to the Seathroul students…"

She was immediately met with a series of boos and hisses from the students in the chairs.

"_Go home murderers!"_

"_You're not welcomed here!"_

"_Get out of here Seathroul!"_

"_Go home Seathroul! Go home Seathroul! Go home Seathroul!"_

The chants continued and only worsened when the Seathroul transfers began shouting back at them. Jett headed out of the auditorium with a few of the Seathroul students following behind him as the others began filing out of the auditorium. The two schools met up in the courtyard and Jett found himself staring face to face with Rietta.

"Are you serious?" he told her. "You're all being completely ridiculous."

"Look around, Jett," she started as she gestured to all of the Louhearst students surrounding her. She pointed at the Emma Jacobs Memorial Garden to the east of the courtyard before turning her attention back to Jett. "All of these people are loyal to Emma and Logan like you were before you decided to side with Seathroul. These guys killed one of your friends which lead to your other friend's suicide and all you can think about is a girl."

"You know what," Sonia suddenly said. "I know why Jett told me that you only have like two friends. Anyone who puts up with your bullshit must be out of their damn minds. You're pathetic…"

The two girls moved closer and glared into each other's eyes. Students from both sides immediately began pushing and shoving the girls into each other and in a matter of seconds, the Louhearst students and the Seathroul students were in a brawl. Slaps, punches, and kicks were flying all over the courtyard and it resembled more of a fight between two gangs than anything. Professor Pine quickly led the staff into the skirmish.

"That's enough!" she shouted. "Break it up! I said break it up!" The students were not complying and she knew what she would have to do. "Vileplume, Bellossom, use Stun Spore!"

"_Viiiilepluuuume!"_

"_Bellloooosssom!"_

The professors held their breath as the orange mist enveloped the area. The students began dropping to the ground like flies until only a few of them were standing. Rietta and Sonia still had their hands buried into each other's hair as they began wobbling. Sonia threw one last punch at the younger girl, hitting her directly in the eye as they both fell down. Professor Pine's face twisted in anger as she stepped over the pile of students. She had never been the slightest bit upset with the students in all her years at Louhearst, but today was different. She was absolutely furious and made no attempt to hide it.

"As soon as you're able to stand, I want Louhearst to head back to their dorms and Seathroul to go to the gym until further notice. Keep all of your Pokémon in their Poké Balls unless authorized by a professor. I want you all to know that punishments will be handed out and that I am extremely disappointed in your behavior…"

* * *

Professor Caper sighed as he glanced around at his second year students. Even when classes weren't in session, he still felt that they were his responsibility. "Just tell me," he started. "Tell me what exactly the point of your protest was? Shane?

"Revenge…" he answered simply.

"Revenge?" the professor questioned. "Was revenge worth getting a month of detention?" He turned to Rietta as she placed the ice pack over her left eye. "Was revenge worth getting a black eye?"

"After what they did to Emma and Logan…" she muttered.

Professor Caper shook his head and move directly to the center of the classroom, making sure everyone could hear him. "One kid killed Emma," he told them. "_One_ kid. You can't blame the entire school for that or Logan's suicide attempt."

"Emma is gone and Logan may never wake up and people like Jett are just pretending like it didn't happen," Rietta defended. "People are dying around us and people like Jett are just in denial."

"You aren't doing yourself any favors by continuing the hatred," Caper responded. "And you're definitely not doing Emma or Logan any favors. Do any of you think Emma would want this? I remember how she came to me after Ethan was attacked and asked me if I could set up a peace summit between Louhearst and Seathroul. She wanted peace and the least you can do for her is to respect her memory…"

He opened the door to the room and ushered the students out. They knew that the professor was right and it took a brawl and getting a month's worth of detention for them to realize that if they kept the war going with Seathroul, there would just be another casualty on their hands. Jett watched as Rietta approached him. Her face still had a haunted look on it, but it was overshadowed by the large ice pack that she held against her eye.

"Listen," she said. "I'm sorry for everything I did today. You were right…"

"Come again?" Jett replied.

"You were right," she repeated. "This war with Seathroul has done nothing but get people hurt and continuing it is just stupid. Definitely not worth a month of detention."

"Did you get that epiphany when you got hit in the eye?"

Rietta smirked at him. "I'm surprised you know what that epiphany means."

"I'm smarter than you give me credit for, Rietta."

"Friends?"

Rietta stretched out her hand at Jett and he nodded his head as they shook hands. "We're friends, but you're on thin ice…" They laughed aloud, but Rietta could see that he may have been serious. "Glad you came to your senses. There's something we need to do…"

* * *

Ethan zipped Togepi in his coat as he made his way through the blowing winds of New Bark Town. The bus from Goldenrod had taken a few hours and his phone had been ringing nonstop. It was mostly text messages about the Louhearst-Seathroul brawl that had taken place in his absence and he wondered how things were going with everyone. He didn't know what to do and he figured there was one person that could help him. Entering the New Bark Town Cemetery, Ethan shivered at the sight of all the tombstones. He had a small fear of graveyards, but he wasn't going to let it hinder him.

"Here we are," he said to Togepi as he stopped in front of the newest tombstone. "This is this one."

"_Togepiii_…"

"Hey, Emma," Ethan said to the tombstone. "Don't know if you're busy, but I needed someone to talk to and you were always the best one to go to for advice. Seathroul's in our school, but you're not and it sucks. I know I can't hate everyone from Seathroul. Ronnie came from that school so there must be more good people than bad. I miss you, Emma, but maybe we'll all meet someone from Seathroul who's just like you. I know you wouldn't want us to continue all this nonsense…"

"_We thought we'd find you here…"_

Ethan looked up to see Jett, Rietta, and Roux approaching him along with Rietta's Alakazam. "Hey," he said as a smile formed on his face. "No fair. I was on the bus for like two or three hours and you guys used Astro to teleport."

"Call us lazy," Jett responded as he put a hand on Ethan's shoulder.

"We were wrong about Seathroul," Rietta told him as she pointed at her swollen eye. "There are good and bad people at both schools and I've got the shiner to prove it."

"Emma wouldn't want us to keep this drama going," Roux added. "And…what's the deal with Togepi?"

Ethan looked at her before turning to Togepi. His skin had a greenish tint to it and he was struggling to maintain his balance. The small Pokémon began coughing madly as the confused trainers looked on. Rietta's eyes widened in horror as she turned her attention to Astro. Like Togepi, his skin had the mysterious green tint to it and he was coughing madly. She placed her forearm on his head as he struggled to maintain his balance.

"He's burning up!"

"_Togeee…pii…"_

"_Alaaa…kaa…"_

The two Pokémon immediately collapsed onto the ground and the graveyard went silent…

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh, Louhearst and Seathroul may be at peace (somewhat anyway), but now something's up with the Pokemon. Hate to leave you guys with such a big cliffhanger, but you know how it is. I'll miss you guys while I'm away, but I'll be back.**

**Other stuff: Be on the lookout for a new fic by my brother, SOS Radio. Its about an academy at sea that travels around the world on a ship. If you want to read funny reviews of Louhearst, check out 'Sebastian's Corner' at my forums. If you guys want to talk to me, send me a PM or go to the forums since I'll still be on for a little while longer before I have my baby. **

**Also: Enjoy Pokemon Black and White!**

**Later!**


	16. Big Man on Campus

**Big Man on Campus**

Jeremy Lynche took a seat at one of the tables in the _Cold Shoulder_ store of Louhearst and felt a bit nervous. Due to the mysterious Pokémon virus that had been spreading, trainers were prohibited from allowing their Pokémon out of their Poké Balls without special permission from Professor Pine.

"I'm glad you accepted my request," the woman said as she took a seat across from the young man. "I know it must be hard for you with everything going on, so if there are any questions, you feel uncomfortable with, let me know."

Jeremy smiled apprehensively as he nodded his head. This woman seemed to be more trustworthy than the other reporters that had been scouting the campus over the last several weeks. "Can we start?" he asked.

"Sure," the woman replied. "Now, I heard there was a 'war' between the students of Louhearst and the students of Seathroul? Do you know who or what exactly caused this conflict?"

Jeremy sighed. "Honestly, it was just a bunch of kids with nothing better to do…"

The woman nodded her head as she wrote down the information and prepared the next question. "Do you believe that Emma Jacobs might have somehow been a target?"

"No," Jeremy answered clearly. "I don't think Emma was a target. Those Seathroul guys were really just messing with anyone from Louhearst. That psycho, Vic, clearly had a bunch of issues going on in his screwed up head and he was bound to blow up eventually. If it wouldn't have been Emma, it would have been someone else…"

Despite his words, Jeremy knew that the tragic incident could have been completely avoided, but the truth was that no one knew how unstable Vic Lawson truly was until it was too late. Jeremy himself had thrown Vic out of the party which eventually led to the stabbing and it had haunted him ever since. His mind would also drift to the situation with Logan and the virus as well. However, he was determined to keep a composed demeanor and so far, he seemed to be coping well. The woman asked him a few more questions before the interview ended.

"Thank you for your time, Jeremy," she said in a genuine tone. "I know things are dim right now, but a strong leader can make a world of difference…"

* * *

To say the dining hall at Louhearst had become completely chaotic would be an understatement. With the Seathroul integration along with the restraint on Pokémon being outside of their Poké Balls, Zack Winters and his gang had been up to all sorts of mischief all over campus. The students in the dining hall were loud and rambunctious, food was flying from table to table, and Zack's gang continued terrorizing the students all while he looked on in disinterest.

"It's like a warzone in here!" Rietta complained to Jett as she barely dodged an incoming milk carton. Jett didn't respond and Rietta frowned as she realized why. "Are you staring at my eye again? Does it look that bad?"

"You want the truth?" Jett asked her as he tried to remove his gaze from the bruise. Rietta nodded her head and Jett took a deep breath. "Honestly, it looks gross. Why don't you at least try to cover it up by putting some makeup over it or something?"

Rietta groaned. "You know I don't like makeup."

"Why not? Are you just trying to be like a non-conformist? Those kinds of people are annoying as hell. Always ranting about how they want to be different which is cool and all, but sometimes they just want to be different for the sake of being different and not because it's something important to them."

Rietta rolled her eyes at him. She knew that Jett was having one of those moments where he'd actually say something intelligent without realizing it. "Well," she started as she tried to explain herself. "I-"

"_Look who it is?_ _Stella Swanna haunting the dining hall with her disgustingly pale skin…"_

Breezy shot Rietta a smirk as she and her friend, Mikayla approached the table. Rietta tried to ignore them, but they kept intentionally egging her on.

"Stella," Breezy taunted as she pointed at her face. "What's black and blue and red all over? Give up? It's your eye!"

The two girls howled in laughter as Rietta stood up to face them. "Listen, Breezy," she told the shorter girl. "I don't want any trouble."

"Too bad," Breezy replied quickly as she let out a laugh. "I do!"

She grabbed Rietta's lunch tray and slid it off the table. Due to the general disorder within the hall, the situation went completely unnoticed. Rietta's first thought was to strike Breezy, but she held herself back. She already had a month of detention and she knew that Breezy was way too quick especially with Mikayla at her side. She glared daggers at Breezy who seemed completely unfazed.

"Alright," Jett said as he stood up. "Let's all just relax…"

"We were just playing with our friend," Breezy replied innocently. "Come on, Mikayla, let's get something to eat." She stomped on Rietta's apple that had been knocked on the floor. "I'm in the mood for applesauce…"

The two girls laughed as they walked away and Jett and Rietta retook their seats. Soon afterwards, they were joined by Jeremy.

"What's up, Mitchell?" he greeted. "Mackenzie? Mind if I sit here for a bit? I need to ask you guys a question or two about Logan."

"Rus already started on the get well card," Jett told him.

Jeremy shook his head. "I-"

He was interrupted by the sound of Jett's phone going off. Jett excused himself and walked a couple of feet away. "You can go ahead and ask me," Rietta mumbled.

"Okay…" Jeremy replied. "Did you guys get any updates? I know with this virus going around, you've all been busy, but I just wanted to know if he was getting better or what."

"Sorry, Jeremy, we haven't heard anything else…"

At that moment, Jett came rushing back to the table. "No time to talk!" he said as he quickly grabbed his belongings. "Superego's got an appointment with the Kooley Brothers!_"_

"Are you serious?" Jeremy told him in disbelief.

"Dead serious," Jett replied. "Rietta, have fun in detention!"

She shot him a quick glare as he scurried off before she headed outside to the courtyard. Jeremy made his way over to his friends, ducking and dodging the flying food that was coming from all over the dining hall. He arrived at his usual table, the so-called "cool crowd" by the other students. Jeremy certainly didn't think of them as anything more than normal, but an outsider's point of view was always different.

He looked around the table at his friends. His best friend, Blake, was in a conversation with Jeremy's brother Aiden over the recent Pokémon virus. Kaylee was helping Nina with her homework while Audrey, Eden, and Nikki were busy texting and Eliza was staring at her food in disinterest.

"Nice to see you guys are handling eating in the zoo that is our lunchroom," he joked as he took a seat next to Kaylee.

"As if," Kaylee replied immediately. "Those Seathroul guys are all chaos every single day."

"There's nothing wrong with a little chaos," Nina chirped in.

"You know," Nikki began as she locked gazes with Zack from across the lunchroom. "There is one good thing about Seathroul coming here. Lots of hot guys…"

Eliza stared at her best friend in disbelief. "You do realize that guy you think is _so_ hot pretty much got off for being an accessory to murder? Jeremy, don't you think she's being ridiculous?"

Jeremy peered over to the Seathroul crowd and saw a familiar face. It was Melanie Garcia from the peace summit between Louhearst and Seathroul back in Violet City. He remembered having a small conversation with her that day, but he had been in a rush to get to the concert that she had completely slipped his mind. Now that he had seen her again, she was pretty much the only thing on his mind.

"Ooh," Eden teased. "Someone's been smitten by the Luvdisc…"

"I just have to figure out a way to talk to her…" Jeremy replied rubbing his chin.

"Just go over there and start up a conversation," Audrey told him. "Not that hard."

"You know what," Jeremy said as he stood up from the table. "You're right. That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Fixing himself up, Jeremy began walking to the opposite side of the dining hall. The chaos had simmered down a bit, but things were far from under control. He still had to dodge all the flying food and make sure he didn't slip on anything that was on the floor.

"Hey…" he greeted as he took a seat across from Melanie.

"Hey yourself," she said while smiling at him. "Jeremy Lynche, right?"

"That is correct," he replied. "So, are you having fun at Louhearst?"

"I can safely say that it's a lot better than my old academy," Melanie told him. "Even my brother sort of likes it here and he has a gripe about everything."

As she continued talking, Jeremy looked over her shoulder and gazed at the scene that was going on. Zack had grabbed the ketchup, mustard, and barbecue bottles and had squirted each bottle onto a large tray. Zack's friends, the heavy-set blond Percy and the frizzy-haired Tifatillah, had snatched one of the first years and were trying to push his face onto the condiment soaked tray.

"Excuse me," Jeremy told Melanie as he stood up and made his way over to the spectacle. He pushed Percy and Tifatillah's hands off of Asher and moved him out of the way.

"May I help you, Sir?" Zack remarked sarcastically as he and Jeremy stood face to face.

"Come on Zack," Jeremy replied calmly. "All this is unnecessary. Just put the tray down and chill…"

By now, the entire room had gone silent, each student looking on at the altercation. Percy and Tifatillah moved closer to Jeremy, but he didn't back down or even shift his glare from Zack. However, he knew that he was causing a scene and wanted to find a way to deescalate the situation before it got out of hand.

"Look," he continued. "I'm not trying to start anything. It's just that you guys are all acting like a swarm of Beedrill. All I'm asking is for you to chill out."

"Chill out?" Zack said as he turned to Percy and Tifatillah. "He wants us to chill out." He grinned and patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "Alright, we'll chill out…"

Zack turned in the opposite direction, before suddenly throwing a punch at Jeremy. The other boy reacted quickly, having expected a sucker punch, and caught Zack's fist in his hand. There was a brief struggle before Jeremy managed to overpower Zack and lock his hand behind his back. Zack winced in pain as Jeremy pulled tighter before finally letting go. The two boys glared at one another once more before Zack and his cronies walked off.

"Thanks man," Asher remarked.

"No problem…"

There was a round of applause throughout the dining hall for the fourth year and he simply smiled humbly at the crowd before dusting himself off. He hadn't exactly plan for his day to happen like this, but he simply did what his old friend, Malcolm Meladeo, would do…

* * *

Jeremy, Nina, and Kaylee made their way down the hall towards Astronomy with Nina and Kaylee still talking about the events that had transpired at lunch. Nina had been congratulating Jeremy on his actions while Kaylee had been going on about how he should have taken a different route.

"What was he supposed to do?" Nina told her. "He tried talking things down and you saw what happened. Zack tried to sucker punch him."

"I'm just saying," Kaylee replied. "Those Seathroul guys are dangerous. Emma Jacobs wouldn't hurt a fly and they still killed her. You just need to be more careful with how you deal with people."

The two girls entered the classroom and Jeremy looked over his shoulder. Kaylee's words had got to him and made him realize that Emma's back was turned when she was stabbed and the same thing could easily happen to him. Before he could clear his head, he was approached by Blake.

"Lend me twenty dollars," Blake told him nonchalantly.

"What for?" Jeremy asked with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I'm hungry," he replied simply. "I'm going to go to Goldenrod café since it's our last week before we move on to Ecruteak City."

"Dude, we just had lunch."

"Yeah, but I'm hungry again…"

"_Jeremy!"_

Jeremy sighed as he heard the familiar voice. He turned around to see Professor Pine walking towards them with a very serious look in her eyes. Blake smoothed his hair down and grinned.

"Hello," he began. "Professor Pine, you look beautiful today."

"Blake, go to class," Professor Pine replied immediately.

"Yes ma'am…"

Jeremy slipped him the twenty as he made his way down the hall. He turned to Professor Pine and tried to give her an innocent smile, but he knew that she was having none of it.

"Jeremy," she sighed. "Why did you get in a confrontation with Zack Winters earlier today in the dining hall? You know that solving your problems with violence is not the answer."

"Come on, Professor," he reasoned. "All I did was put a stop to the situation. It's the same thing Malcolm would have done."

"Listen, I appreciate you taking charge. You're a very popular young man and a lot of the younger students look up to you as an example. If they see you doing something, they'll likely try to do it too, so just make sure you that you're a positive role model. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded his head and she smiled before she headed down the hallway. "I'll tell Professor Bourne that you stopped by!" he called after her.

Though he was making jokes, Jeremy knew how serious the situation was and that it was best to just take Kaylee's advice and ignore the Seathroul Gang…

* * *

Jett paced back and forth as he waited for Roux, Ethan, Rolen and Mike to arrive. He was bored out of his skull and had spent most of the time in the small meeting room texting Sonia. With the Pokémon lockdown, there was no way he could call Magmar or any of his other Pokémon out to keep him company.

"Damn it…" he cursed to himself. "Where are they?"

One by one, they began filing in. Roux was the first one to arrive followed by Rolen and Mike and lastly, Ethan. He seemed to be in a somewhat better mood since Togepi was recovering from the virus, but it was easy to tell that there was this sort of hidden anger manifesting inside of him.

"Alright," Jett began. "I know you all heard the news, so before we do anything, we need to remember that we got this far together and we're going to keep going further and further together. Deal?"

"Deal…" they answered in unison.

"Alright then," Jett said. "Let's head out to my car. Ethan, come here for a second."

Ethan made his way over to Jett as Roux, Rolen, and Mike headed out. "What is it?" he asked.

"I just wanted to know if you're alright."

Ethan nodded his head. "I'm fine. I mean, we have a chance to become famous. It's like a dream come true. Togepi's getting better too, so I…I think that maybe things are finally starting to turn around for us…"

Before Jett could say anything else, Ethan walked out of the door. He had wanted to tell him some more things, but it was obvious that Ethan wasn't up for it. Jett made his way towards the exit, only for the door to suddenly slam in his face.

"What the hell…?"

"_Froooo_…"

"_Togeeee_…"

Jett looked up to see a Froslass and a Togekiss staring directly down at him from the ceiling. His immediately reached for a Poké Ball only to be stopped by a strange voice…

"_You don't want to do that. The virus is still going around and you wouldn't want to infect your Pokémon. Jett, is it?"_

Jett slowly turned around and his mouth dropped open when he saw the white-haired man standing there peacefully, his ocean blue eyes staring directly at him. However, Jett stood his ground and wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"I know who you are…" he started. "So let's skip the introductions. Lord Monsiadem, right?"

The man nodded his head and smirked. "Samuel said you were supposed to be the…unintelligent one. I am quite surprised. Don't worry, Jett, I did not come here to kill you. That would be as Samuel would put it…inelegant."

"Logan told me you were pale," Jett shot back. "But damn, you make Rietta look like she took a dip in a tub of chocolate."

"And you have a sense of humor…" Lord Monsiadem replied. "That is delightful. Very well, let me see if I can come up with a joke. I think I have one and I think you will find it very funny…Emma Jacobs. Wait, I think I have another one and I think you will definitely enjoy it…Carla Mitchell…"

Jett froze and at that moment, he knew Monsiadem had got under his skin. Not only was he taunting him about the death of his friend, but he even went as far as taunting him about the death of his mother. "If you ever say anything about-"

"Your mother?" Monsiadem interrupted. "Well, I did not come here for that. That business is strictly between you and Zaria. I just wanted to finally meet you. It's a shame what happened to Emma Jacobs. She was a very kind-hearted girl. Of course, she would still be alive if it weren't for Logan. Or maybe she would still be alive if it weren't for Henrietta? You certainly aren't the best at picking friends, Jett…"

"Listen," Jett said in a low voice. "I'm not Logan. You're not going to trick me. Those 'voices' Logan was hearing before he attempted to commit suicide belonged to the Soul Destroyers. You were the one who told him all that shit and you're the one behind the virus. Bet you didn't know that I knew that?"

Monsiadem's eyes widened. He had to admit, Jett had caught him off guard in both instances relating to Logan's suicide attempt and the virus. However, he didn't let it bother him and almost immediately regained his composure.

"You are certainly smarter than we gave you credit for…"

"You blew up Mt. Moon and you killed Don Meladeo," Jett continued. "Yeah, I'm certainly not as stupid as you thought!"

"Correction. Beauty and Beast blew up Mt. Moon and Luther Kross killed Don Meladeo. I didn't authorize either incident. The Soul Destroyers gave Beauty and Beast the command to destroy the mountain and Don Meladeo simply jumped in front of an attack that was headed for Logan…"

Jett frowned at him. "You know what I mean…"

"Indeed I do, but that is beside the point. I want you to know something, Jett. When I destroy Logan Martin's soul and wipe him from existence, I will unlock the key to creating a new world. Something even Team Galactic could not accomplish. I will give you a chance to live in my new world, Jett. What has Logan Martin done for you so far? He is sending your friends to their deaths. Eventually it will be your Pokémon and finally, it will be you…"

"You actually think destroying someone's soul to where they won't even be able to move on after they die is worth your new world? That's bullshit and you know it. I think I'd rather be by Logan's side if…no, _when_ he kills you…"

"Very well. We shall meet again…

Jett was immediately blinded by a flash of light and when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the couch in the meeting room. "Woah…that was one messed up dream…"

"Jett!" Roux yelled at him as she entered the room. "What are you doing lying down? Come on, we're going to be late!"

* * *

Professor Tallow glanced at the clock in the classroom and stood up to face the students who were serving detention.

"Detention is over…" he stated clearly. "Get out…"

The students began filing out of the classroom as Tallow grabbed his belongings. He looked over to the desks and noticed that Rietta had her head down. He thought of waking her up, but then he realized that he really did not care if she sat there all night. He figured she could leave when she woke up so he decided to leave the door unlocked.

"Professor Tallow," Becca said as she passed him. "Um, Rietta's asleep. Aren't you going to wake her?"

"I have to pick up my dry cleaning…" Tallow answered simply as he walked out of the room.

Becca rolled her eyes as she made her way over to where Rietta was sleeping. She was hunched over the desk, her eyes squeezed shut and her water bottle held tightly against her chest.

"Rietta!" Becca shouted as she began shaking her. "Wake up!"

Rietta's eyes shot open and she jerked her head up. Looking around the room, she noticed that everyone had left and that she had lost track of time. "Becca…" she started. "What time is it?"

"Around six," she answered. "Hey, if you aren't in a hurry, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Go ahead…" Rietta replied as she took a sip of her water bottle.

"Okay, there's this…person who I really like, but they've been avoiding me for a while. I mean, I understand that things are awkward between me and this person, but they haven't even tried to talk to me."

Rietta arched her eyebrow at her and gave her a confused look. She knew that she wasn't exactly the person to go to for romantic advice, but she was going to try her best to help out.

"Maybe you just need to find a place where you can meet this person where they won't be able to avoid you and then, just talk to them…"

"Alright," Becca replied as she headed for the door. "I'll see if I can do that. Thanks."

She walked out as Rietta began gathering her belongings. Glancing at the bottle in her hand, Rietta slowly walked over to the mirror and took a look at her face. Nothing seemed too out of order, but she did notice the glassy look in her eyes and cursed herself for not being more careful. She took a deep breath before heading towards the exit, only for the door to slam in her face.

"Ouch!" she screamed as she put a hand over her injured eye.

"_Froooo_…"

"_Togeeee_…"

Rietta frantically looked around the room as she tried to detect the noises she was hearing. "Who's there?" she shouted. "Show yourself!"

She was immediately circled by what she identified as a Froslass and a Togekiss. The two Pokémon flew around her for a moment before retreating to the other side of the room. Rietta quickly reached for a Poké Ball, only to be cut off by a strange voice.

"_You really should not do what you're thinking. Your Pokémon could be at risk. There is a virus going around after all_…"

A man with long white hair and ocean blue eyes dressed in all white approached her. A shiver ran up her spine as she backed up towards the window.

"N-No way…" she said quietly. "It's you…"

"Lord Monsiadem," he greeted politely. "Henrietta Mackenzie, we meet at last. But why do you seem so distressed? I'm not here to harm you at all. Perhaps, you are not distressed. Perhaps, you are just too drunk to comprehend what is going on right now."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Rietta stammered. "I-I don't drink…"

Monsiadem simply smirked and snatched the water bottle out of her hand. He unscrewed the top and poured the contents onto the floor. "Vodka?" he questioned as he examined the inside of the bottle. "Classy enough for someone like you, yet not classy enough for someone like me…"

"If you came here to kill me…" Rietta told him. "Go ahead. It's not like I have anything worth living for…"

"On the contrary," Monsiadem replied. "You have a lot to live for. If I wanted to kill you, we would not be having this conversation. You remind me of myself at your age. Much like you, I was constantly surrounded by idiots like my uncle, I was never appreciated for my genius, and I was generally being overlooked in favor of everyone else. However, instead of drinking and whining, I decided to do something about my situation. It has taken me over a quarter of a century to get this far and I've almost completed my goal…"

"I swear, if you go anywhere near Logan, I'll-"

"You'll do what?" Monsiadem interrupted, a smirk crossing his face. "It's inevitable. I will kill Logan Martin, I will wipe his soul from existence, and I will create a new world. It will be an era of peace and kindness…"

"And in order to get to your era of peace and kindness, you command your terrorist organization to murder thousands of people and Pokémon? You want to prevent someone from going to the afterlife simply because you think your new world is worth it?"

Monsiadem nodded his head. "Utopia justifies the means. We shall meet again…"

Rietta was immediately blinded by a flash of light and when she opened her eyes, she found herself sitting in her seat with her head on the top of the desk.

"My head…" she groaned. "Ugh, that was crazy dream…"

* * *

Jeremy couldn't believe his luck. He had managed to convince Melanie to hang out with him and the Goldenrod Café and so far, things were going excellent. They had a lot of things in common and Jeremy felt that Melanie was nice and intelligent girl, even if she was a bit headstrong.

"I just wanted to thank you," Melanie told him suddenly.

"Thank me?" Jeremy asked curiously.

Melanie nodded her head. "The Seathroul students haven't exactly been welcomed here after what happened. I wasn't at the party, but I heard what happened. I…I think you handled it really well…"

"Someone got killed," Jeremy mumbled. "I hardly call that handling it…"

"_Well I call it not handling it at all…"_

Jeremy let out a groan as Zack, Percy, and Tifatillah approached the table. Each of them had a grin on their faces and it was obvious that they were in the mood for causing trouble. Jeremy didn't flinch at all as he stood up and glared directly into Zack's eyes.

"You're not too innocent yourself," Jeremy told him clearly. "Now just leave us alone…"

The trio surrounded Jeremy, but took a step back when Blake suddenly approached the scene and stood beside his friend. "I think we should make it a little bit more even, don't you think?" he remarked.

"Let's battle," Zack said simply. "Behind the café. No one will catch us. And Big Percy's hungry, so maybe after we're finished, your friend here can try and take him on?"

Percy grinned at Blake and let out a growl. "When I get hungry, I get a little…feisty…"

"Alright," Blake shot back. "But I'm hungry for some pork chops and I'm looking right at a pig…"

He let out a howl as Jeremy tried to stifle his laughter.

"So what's your answer?" Zack questioned.

Jeremy simply shook his head and made his way over to Melanie's side of the table. "There's a virus going around and I'm not going to endanger my Pokémon just so I can battle you. Come on, Melanie, let's get out of here…"

"Looks like the big man on campus isn't such a big man…" Zack taunted as Jeremy, Melanie, and Blake headed for the exit. "Because maybe if he was, he would have faced me and Vic back at the party last month instead of chickening out. And maybe…Emma Jacobs would still be alive…"

Jeremy stopped in his tracks and Zack knew he had gone too far by mentioning Emma, but he wasn't thinking about that at the moment. Jeremy had made him look like a fool in the dining hall earlier that day and he wanted retribution. Jeremy slowly walked up to Zack until they were barely a few inches apart.

"Meet me in twenty minutes behind the café," he told him. "It's about time someone shut you up…"

Zack smirked and gave him a shove. "We'll see…"

* * *

**Alright guys, no excuses. I was gone for too long, but the baby is three months old and she's growing really fast so I'm probably going to have more free time to write. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. **

**Go to my forums if you want to submit any OC's for any of my new stories that I hope to begin soon. If you want to read funny Louhearst parodies, check out Sebastian's Corner at the forums. Also, be on the look out for...**

**"The Louhearst Expedition: Year Three!" Coming soon! :D**

**Later!**


	17. Over the Limit

**Over The Limit**

Jeremy took a deep breath as he stood across the alleyway from Zack Winters. They were set to have a battle despite the fact that everyone had been ordered to keep their Pokémon inside their Poké Balls due to the virus. Jeremy knew what he was putting his Pokémon at risk by doing this, but he also knew that Zack would not leave him alone until someone shut him up. Jeremy's gaze shifted to Zack's gang. There were at least seven of them there looking on while the only person that Jeremy had with him was Blake.

"Ready when you are," Zack remarked arrogantly.

"Alright, Marowak," Jeremy said as he grabbed a Poké Ball. "Let's go…"

"Hitmonchan, time for battle!" Zack ordered as he tossed a Poké Ball.

"_Marooowaaak_!"

"_Hitmon_!"

"Mach Punch!" Zack commanded.

Before Jeremy could react, Hitmonchan landed a blow right on the skull of Marowak. Marowak stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance.

"Bone Club," Jeremy said. "Hit him hard!"

Marowak immediately began bashing Hitmonchan repeatedly with his bone. The fighting Pokémon struggled to block the hits, but before he could come back with a defense, both of them collapsed onto the ground. The two trainers knew all too well that it was the virus acting on the two Pokémon. Zack immediately recalled Hitmonchan and hurried off with his gang.

"Jeremy!" Blake yelled as he knelt beside Marowak. "We need to get to a center fast!"

Jeremy clenched his fists. He couldn't believe that he had let himself be fooled by Zack Winters of all people. He had fallen right into a trap. Jeremy tried to remember what his friend, Kaylee, had told him about being the bigger person, but at this point, he didn't care about making peace with Zack.

"Take Marowak to a center, Blake. They might be handing out vaccines, but I'm not sure yet. I have some business to take care of…"

Tossing the keys to his truck to his friend, Jeremy bolted after the band of thugs. He knew that they had a car and were likely on their way back to Louhearst. Being several blocks away, Jeremy decided that he could take his time to get to the academy since he already knew where Zack would be. Slowing down his pace, Jeremy stuffed his hands into his pockets and began leisurely strolling through the streets of Goldenrod. The expedition would be leaving for Ecruteak in a few days and he could not wait to get there. To him, anything would be better than Goldenrod. His thoughts were all over the place, but his primary focus was to put Zack Winters in his place. Jeremy's mind drifted to the night of the party once again and he felt his blood boil. He remembered the smug look on Zack and Vic's faces as soon as they had walked in the door of Rietta Mackenzie's house. Everyone knew that the two Seathroul thugs were going to cause trouble, but they had given them the benefit of the doubt and Jeremy realized that was an act of stupidity on all their parts.

"Almost there…" Jeremy said to himself as the Louhearst building came into sight.

After crossing the street and jumping a fence, Jeremy had finally made his way back to the academy. He immediately began looking for Zack and the rest of his gang. They weren't too hard to find as they were already causing chaos in the courtyard. Zack, Percy, and Tifatillah were harassing the first years.

"Give it back!" one of them shouted as the trio continued passing around the young trainer's cell phone.

Jeremy quickly approached the scene and a crowd formed as he gestured at the phone in Zack's hand.

"You heard him," Jeremy said clearly. "Give him his phone back."

"Or what?" Zack asked as he tossed the phone in the air. The young boy quickly caught his phone and let out a sigh of relief. Zack smirked as he gave Jeremy a quick shove. "What are you going to do, Jeremy? Take the high road?"

"Not this time…"

Before anyone could react, Jeremy threw a fist at Zack, hitting him in the middle of his nose. He threw another right hand, this time hitting his rival in the eye. The force of the impact sent Zack stumbling towards the ground as the crowd looked on in absolute shock. Jeremy locked eyes with Percy and Tifatillah, daring them to make a move, but both stood frozen in their positions. Jeremy looked around the crowd and saw the stunned faces of his friends, but they didn't say a word. He noticed that Zack had landed near Melanie's feet. Jeremy had been trying to impress her all day, but from the look on her face, he could tell she was unsure of what to think. Throwing the hood on his head, the senior turned and began walking towards the inside.

"You son of a bitch!" Zack yelled as he jumped off of the ground, blood running from his nose. In a moment of absolute rage, the delinquent reached inside his pocket and retrieved a switchblade. Percy and Tifatillah immediately went into action and grabbed Zack in an attempt to hold him back. "Walk away! That's right, walk away!"

* * *

Jett fiddled his thumbs as he and the rest of his band sat on the large couch in the office of the Kooley Brothers. Despite the convincing amount of confidence he appeared to have, Jett knew that he was probably the most nervous one of the bunch. Roux was doing her make-up, Rolen was doing _his_ make-up, Ethan was munching on a bag of potato chip, and Mike was staring out of the window.

"Hello…"

All at once, the five of them tensed up as the two brothers of the record label walked in the room. The older brother was a stocky man with large arms, tanned skin, and salt and pepper hair. The younger brother was a bit taller and very thin with dark brown hair and fair skin. They both shared the same blue-green eyes and the same indifferent expressions on their faces. Behind them, two Granbull strolled in with their heads held high.

"In case you don't know," the older brother started. "My name is Clayton Kooley and this is my brother, Kent. You may have heard of my daughter-"

"Kelsey Kooley!" Roux interrupted cheerfully. "I am like her number one fan!"

Clayton smiled as he and his brother took their seats in the office. He was a man of business and he definitely wanted to get straight to the point, but he knew that he needed to ask the teenagers a few questions.

"Why the name, _Superego_?" he asked as he pet his Granbull.

"Because…" Jett started. "Because…we're the best!"

"I like that attitude!" Clayton stated. "That's how you succeed. Now, before I continue, I wanted to let you all know that I had planned on scheduling a meeting with you last month…We heard about what happened to one of the students at your school and we wanted you to know that we are sorry for your tragic loss…"

"The party…" Ethan mumbled. "It…just got out of hand…"

"You don't have to talk about it," Clayton assured him. "Now, let's brighten the mood. I received your demo and I wanted to know what the inspiration was for two of your songs, _CPR_ and _Over the Limit_?"

"_CPR_ was actually Jett's idea," Mike explained. "He took a class during this summer and got certified. It's basically a song about rebirth and starting over…"

"_Over the Limit_…" Jett began. "That's mostly a song written through frustration. Everyone has a breaking point and we thought we should make that clear."

"Excellent," Clayton replied. "I-"

He was interrupted by the door to the office opening. A young woman with blonde hair and hazy blue eyes stormed in. She had a very thin build and her nose was reddened. To Jett and the others, she looked like a complete mess.

"I'm sorry," Clayton sighed. "This is my _other_ daughter, Cassie…"

The five of them waved at Cassie, but she simply rolled her eyes.

"My Pokémon are sick, Dad," she explained. "I need some money."

"Can't you see that I'm in a very important meeting?" Clayton said angrily. He sighed and reached into his wallet as his brother looked on. "Take my credit card."

Cassie grabbed the card and immediately strolled out of the office without any goodbyes to her father and uncle whatsoever. Clayton sighed once more, obviously embarrassed at his younger daughter's actions.

"Back on topic," he continued. "We don't usually even consider contacting garage bands, let alone actually signing them, but in this case, I think we should make a consideration for _Superego _because Daisy recommended you. You all look marketable enough and if we sign you, the first thing we need to do is get you really known by the public by scheduling some concerts, making some merchandise and doing some media stuff. After that, we can focus on tours and such, but that will have to be arranged with your parents."

"Let's say we do sign with this label," Jett began. "What's the…offer in the-"

"My brother and I were thinking a two-million dollar contract would suit this band for starting up," Clayton finished. "Does that sound agreeable?"

The teenagers, save for Rolen, nearly fell out of their seats when they heard how much money the Kooley Brothers were willing to negotiate into their contract. Since Rolen already came from a wealthy family, two-million dollars didn't really impress him much, but he was happy to see that his bandmates were excited.

"Will we have to leave school?" Mike suddenly asked.

"Well-"

"Who cares?" Jett interrupted. "I mean seriously, who honestly cares? Being a rockstar owns being in a dingy academy…"

"Well…" Clayton started again as he stood up from his seat and snapped at the Granbull. "We'll give you some alone time to talk it over with yourselves. Kent, let's go get a latte…"

The two brothers exited the room with their Pokémon, closing the door behind them. Almost immediately, the five of them started chatting loudly about their big break.

"Alright," Roux finally said. "We need to make an agreement. We're going to take our egos out in our music not on each other. It should be all for one and one for all. Who's with me?"

"I'm in…" Ethan responded.

"Me too," Mike added.

"Yeah," Rolen said. "I'm in too…"

Everyone looked at Jett and he simply nodded his head at them.

"But let's keep this a secret for a bit," he told them. "It'll be a better surprise then…"

* * *

Z.K. looked around the deserted hallway nervously as she approached the small supply closet. Making sure that there was no one in sight, she took a deep breath and walked into the closet to see Becca leaning against the wall.

"I was almost worried that you wouldn't show…" she stated simply.

"This is already awkward enough," Z.K. shot back. "So we might as well get to the point. What do you want?"

"I want to talk about what happened between us at the Martins place. We can't pretend like it didn't happen."

Z.K. groaned as she ran her hands through her hair. "Becca, it was a heat of the moment thing. We had just had an argument and…listen, it's just not right. We're girls. We like guys, not each other."

"Alright," Becca sighed. "Be honest though. Did you feel anything? I did…"

"I told you that-"

"Just answer the question…truthfully…"

Z.K. opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She found herself staring into Becca's blue eyes and her thoughts traced back to the last time that she was entranced by them. In her mind, it was wrong, but there was something that was telling her that it didn't matter. Reaching out, Z.K. gently grabbed Becca's hand, her gaze never leaving the sight of Becca's ocean blue eyes. Becca simply smiled back at her causing Z.K. to take another deep breath. She felt that if she went forward, there would be no going back, but the more she looked at Becca, the less she cared. Slowly, Zoey Kross moved forward, her eyes shifting to Becca's lips as she puckered her own. The moment that their lips touched, Z.K. was flooded with memories of their last time together. However, she knew it was different this time and she could tell that Becca was having the same thoughts. Z.K. felt the other girl's tongue slide into her mouth and a blush formed across her face. As they continued their passionate embrace, the two girls failed to notice the sound of the door opening. After a few moments, the intruder decided to make their presence known.

"_I think that's enough lezzing out for one video_…"

Z.K. and Becca immediately moved apart and their eyes widened in horror as they came face to face with Sadie Yanes and her camcorder.

"You're that girl!" Becca shouted. "The one that Logan beat in Ilex Forest. What are you doing here?"

"My school closed down, genius," Sadie answered in disinterest. "But let's talk about you two. I have to admit that I got a weird vibe from you two back in Azalea and this pretty much proves me right…"

Z.K. reached for her Poké Balls, but suddenly remembered the virus and moved her hands to the inside of her pocket. The familiar clicking noise was heard as the blade came out of the handle. She waved it around, hoping to intimidate Sadie, but she didn't flinch.

"If you know what's good for you-"

"If you know what's good for _you_," Sadie interrupted as she held up the camcorder, her tone calm as ever. "You'd listen to me. Isn't this a cool camcorder? I stole it from one of the first years. I've been recording all sorts of things, but today, I found something really interesting and that's you two making out. Now, it would be a shame if this somehow got uploaded to the school's website. Obviously, you two aren't ready to…come out of the 'closet' if you know what I mean. In short, I own you now. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, shut it…"

* * *

Rietta could not believe that she had decided to schedule an appointment with a therapist. She felt as if she could solve her problems on her own, so she could not figure out why she had decided to seek help. Furthermore, her therapist was a Pokémon who was talking to her through a plastic bubble. The Slowking smiled at the girl in an attempt to ease the tension.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I am in this bubble?" Dr. King asked. "Well, it's because the virus that is going around…"

"I guess that makes sense," Rietta replied. "I mean, you are a Pokémon…"

"Indeed I am," he replied cheerfully. "But let us move the focus on to you. I understand that you've been stealing alcohol and drinking it?"

"I just need to figure out what's making me do this," Rietta said. "After that, I'm sure that I'll be able to stop."

The therapist nodded his head. "Well, you and the other students of this academy as well as the Pokémon have all been under a significant amount of stress as of late."

"The stabbing…" Rietta started. "Emma was killed in my backyard while I was inside the party getting drunk. I haven't even been to see Logan once since his suicide attempt. It's just too hard…"

"Maybe that's what you need?" Dr. King inquired. "Before we go on though, tell me about your relationship with Logan Martin."

"Where should I begin? I mean, Logan was the very first person at Louhearst to not hate me. I've been through a lot, but I can definitely say that he's always been there even if I'd been acting like a witch. He tolerates me and generally treats me like a sister…"

Dr. King nodded his head as he jotted some notes down on the clipboard inside of his bubble. "I think what you need is to go pay Logan a visit. That may be the root of your drinking problem. The expedition is leaving for Ecruteak soon, but I can tell Professor Pine that you took the Magnet Train to Kanto to visit your friend. Is that what you would like to do?"

"I think that's exactly what I need…"

* * *

Jeremy sat alone on the bench on the outside of the school. He had been chewed out by the Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center for exposing Marowak to the virus. Luckily, Marowak was able to be treated with the vaccine. Jeremy had also been chewed out by half of his friends and his brother. However, most of the students of Louhearst had been cheering him ever since his confrontation with Zack Winters earlier that day. He had been receiving threatening phone calls that he was certain were from Zack's gang.

"_Can I join you?" _

It was Melanie's voice, but Jeremy didn't turn in her direction. He simply nodded his head and she took a seat beside him.

"Guess you saw what I did?" he stated.

"Listen," Melanie started. "I've known Zack Winters for a long time and you're the first person I've ever seen actually knock him to the ground. Honestly though, just let it go. You really don't have to prove anything…"

"You're a girl, you don't get it," Jeremy responded as his phone went off. "One second…" He clicked the answer button and stood up.

"Who is this?"

"_Who do you think it is, idiot?"_

"Look Zack or Percy or whoever this is-"

"_Are you scared?_ "

"Not at all."

"_Well, if you want to prove that you're a man, come behind the building right now and we'll record you getting your ass handed to you. That is, if you're man enough_…"

"I'll be there…"

Jeremy hung up the phone and headed directly behind the building of Louhearst, ignoring Melanie's pleas for him to let it go. When he finally reached his destination, Jeremy saw about fifteen of the Seathroul thugs smoking, drinking, and chatting amongst themselves. When he finally saw Zack, Jeremy sprinted over towards him and slammed him directly into the wall, causing the bully to fall to the ground.

"You want a fight!" Jeremy shouted to the thugs. "Turn on the camera and you'll get one! What's the matter, Zack? Scared?"

"That's it!" Zack shouted as he jumped to his feet. "Your ass is dead!"

He charged at Jeremy only for the other boy to duck and tackle him onto the ground. Jeremy began unleashing a flurry of punches as Zack tried to protect his face to no avail.

"Is this man enough for you!" Jeremy shouted as he continued pounding his fists into his rival's face.

Realizing that things were getting out of hand, Percy and Tifatillah grabbed onto Jeremy an attempted to him off of their leader. They managed to get him to his feet, but Jeremy shoved both of them back with a great amount of force.

"Someone's coming!" one of the thugs shouted.

"Next time!" Percy said as he and Tifatillah began dragging Zack away. "It's _me_ and you!"

"I'll be waiting!" Jeremy shouted. "I'll take all of you!"

* * *

Rietta took a seat at the train station and searched through her purse before she found her rail pass. Before she could get comfortable, she noticed a familiar face sitting a few seats down from her.

"Jett?" she said as she moved closer. "Jett?"

He had earplugs in and the music was so loud that Rietta could hear it. She took the plugs out of his ears and called his name once more. Jett looked around for a second and a confused expression formed on his face when he saw Rietta.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked him.

"I'm going to Fuchsia to talk to my dad about some stuff," he explained. "And then I'm going to see Logan. You?"

"Logan…"

Jett nodded his head as he put his earplugs back in. Rietta simply stared at him. There was something about him that was different. He seemed very calm and a bit distant and while she wanted to figure out what was going on, she knew that it would be best not to say anything that would potentially upset him. The sound of the train approaching alerted the people standing around the station.

"The…train is here…" Rietta said as she tapped Jett on the shoulder.

Jett simply nodded as he stood up and made his way towards the boarding area. Rietta followed him and tried to get his attention, but he simply wouldn't talk. She thought that maybe he was in some sort of weird mood, but he didn't appear angry. It was a strange kind of peaceful and Rietta knew that if she questioned it, he would probably go off on her about how she hated other people being happy or some nonsense that she had become accustomed to hearing over the past year and a half. However, her curiosity was starting to get the better of her as they took their seats on the train.

"Jett?"

"What? I'm trying to listen to music…"

"Oh, never mind…"

Jett simply shrugged his shoulders and put his earplugs back in. He was on top of the world in his mind and there was nothing that was going to change that…

* * *

Shane stood in his room as his Pokémon made a row in front of him. None of them had been infected with the virus and they actually seemed to be healthier than they had been before the virus started. There was something suspicious going on and he knew it, but Shane couldn't figure out what exactly it was that made his Pokémon so healthy.

"Hey, sweetie!" Jewel said as she poked her head in the room. "Don't forget your meeting with Professor Pine!"

"That's right…" he said to himself as he began recalling his Pokémon. "Pine wanted something…"

Shane made his way towards her office and as he passed by a large group of students, many of whom had been his enemies in the past, they smiled and waved at him. He wasn't sure how to respond, but he gave them a half-smile. When he reached Professor Pine's office, Shane simply walked in and closed the door behind him.

"There you are…" Pine started. "I wanted to tell you some exciting news!"

"Exciting news?"

"Yes. Since the tournament was cancelled this year, Mr. Everston decided to make up for it by holding a battling event at the Whirl Islands. There will be several battles between students and their Pokémon and the main event which will crown the Champion of Louhearst…"

"Champion?"

Pine nodded her head. "In the past, there was a champion of the academy. Whoever was the best trainer was the champion and now we're bringing it back. I don't have all the details yet, but I figured you would love to know especially since you've made a major improvement this year…"

"Um…thank you…" Shane replied. "It certainly sounds like it'll be interesting…" He felt his phone going off in his pocket and he excused himself from the office.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, Shane. It's your father. I was wondering about you and your Pokémon. How have you all been?"_

"I've been doing well. My Pokémon have been _exceptionally_ well despite this virus going around. In fact, they seem to have gotten stronger…"

"_So the virus has not affected any of your Pokémon and they've actually gotten stronger? Hmm, I see. Excellent…"_

"Excellent? Wait, do you know-"

Shane was immediately cut off. He tried dialing his father back several times, but he didn't get an answer. He came to the conclusion that his father knew more about the virus than he was letting on. Shane sighed as he walked back to his room, his father's voice ringing through his head.

"_Remember your loyalties_…"

* * *

**AN: Yeah, that chapter had a LOT going on in it, but it's all leading up to the Whirl Islands. There's going to be a timeskip after this chapter, so be ready.**

**It may take me a while to upload the next chapter, but after that, I'll definitely be uploading more frequently.**

**PM me if you want to talk or come to my forum.**

**Later! **


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